


A Second Chance

by aForgottenWeasley



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Romance, mentions of past trauma, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-10
Updated: 2014-04-20
Packaged: 2018-01-08 06:31:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 146,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1129419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aForgottenWeasley/pseuds/aForgottenWeasley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Avengers are battling a new threat when a newcomer- who just so happens to have the same power as the enemy- helps the Avengers out, and S.H.I.E.L.D obtains their first ever wand-wielder who just so happens to be Steve Rogers' new friend. Whoever said America was a great place for a fresh start was sorely mistaken.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Don't jump down my throat! This is my first time writing anything for the Avengers but luckily it's a crossover so yeah.. don't judge too harshly.
> 
> Firstly, just a quick heads up! We're gonna dive right into my personal universe for this fic and say that everything that has happened up to the Avengers film has happened and everything after WON'T. And since I'm pretty shit with following timelines and time zones, I'm pulling the Wizarding War up to a few months before the Battle of New York. Deal? Good.
> 
> As for my OC whose face claim is Gemma Arterton, we'll learn more and more about her in the later chapters. You won't get all the details in this first chapter so don't say I didn't give enough about her because most of her story will be told when S.H.I.E.L.D actually obtains her.
> 
> Now that that's out of the way, enjoy!

" _Harry Potter.. is dead!"_

_Eir Banning cringed at Ginny Weasley's scream of grief, the fiery redhead being held back by her father as she lunged forward. As she gripped her wand tight in hand, Voldemort silenced the entire Light side from their mutterings of denial about the Boy-Who-Lived's death and went on to gloat about his victory._

_Eir stood on the front line of Deatheaters, she being the only one whose hood shadowed her face from those of the Light side, and waited with bated breath to see what would happen next. The war was supposed to be easy and quick but instead, the Light side put up a valiant effort which produced many casualties on both sides. While she could care less for those of the fallen Deatheaters, her heart ached for the children she once went to school with and the Professors who had taught her._

_She had never wanted this. Becoming a Deatheater had been her parent's doing and if she had went against their wishes, the punishment would have been severe and Eir didn't have that strong of a will to face her parent's wrath._

_So now, here she stood on the_ winning  _side as she faced the crestfallen expression of her friend from across the court yard. It felt like a Hippogriff sat on her chest when Hermione easily spotted her, her friend's body seeming to slump with not only grief but betrayal as well._

_Voldemort continued on with his speech, offering a spot in his ranks to those on the Light side who stepped forward now, and Eir was surprised when Neville Longbottom limped forward. His speech was awe-inspiring, filling her with warmth and hope, and it was then that her path became clear. She was never meant to fight for the Dark side- never wanted to to begin with- and the moment Harry fell from Hagrid's arms and fired a spell at Voldemort's snake, she made up her mind then and there._

_As the cowardly bunch of Deatheaters started to flee, Eir shrugged off her black cloak and much to her parent's surprise, she apparated away from them and their precious Dark Lord in favor of standing by her friend's side. Hermione had yelped in surprise before Ron tried tugging her behind him when he caught sight of Eir, but after quick ramblings of "it's not what it looks like" and "I promise to explain after this is over" in between of throwing up_ protego  _after_ protego  _to keep them safe from wayward spells, Hermione pulled away from Ron to pull Eir into a hug._

_Eir fought, not only for her life, but the life of others as she helped the Light Side take down Voldemort's most loyal Deatheaters. It was during the fight between the Matriarch of the Weasley clan and Bellatrix Lestrange that Eir let her guard down only to wind up on the other side of her own Father's wand._

_He had caught her from behind, having watched as she betrayed her own family for those they were working so hard to get rid of. When he saw her watching a duel between Bellatrix and the blood-traitor, he took his chance and cast_ crucio.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

Eir awoke with a scream, scrambling to sit upright with her chest heaving as she fought to catch her breath. The bed sheet was wrapped around her legs, most likely from the thrashing in her sleep, and her bangs clung to her forehead with sweat as well as the hair escaping from her braid on the back of her neck. Glancing to the side, the glowing numbers of her clock read 7:23A and given the fact that her heart was still pounding against her ribcage, she wasn't going back to bed anytime soon.

With a sigh, she kicked off the suffocating sheet before swinging her legs over the side of her bed and padded her way into her bathroom. Dull brown eyes stared back at her the second the flipped the light switch on, pink lips tilting downward into a frown as Eir studied her reflection. Her skin tone had always been on the pale side-  _fair_ if Hermione had any say so- and the dark bags beneath her eyes appeared ever since her Mother told her about  _initiation_ for a female Deatheater. With that specific memory in mind, her gaze wandered down to her inner forearm where the faded Dark Mark would stay with her to forever remind her that she was weak and cowardly.

Nose crinkling in disgust at herself, Eir averted her gaze and was met with the splatter of pale freckles along her nose and cheeks when she caught her reflection. She quickly smoothed out her features, her freckles nearly disappearing when her face wasn't scrunched up. Yawning away what was rest of her sleep addled mind, Eir turned on the cold tap before soaking a wash cloth and ringing out the excess water to cool down her heated skin. The cloth went from cooling her face back to under the water faucet before being rung out again and then applied to the back of her neck. Pulling her long braid out of the way to rest hanging over her chest, she let the cold cloth sit there for a while before continuing on with her usual morning routine.

..

..

Eir glared as best she could at her kitchen window, a swarm of owls flying by her window as others swooped in to peck on said window- envelopes clutched in their talons and beaks. It had been six years since the Battle of Hogwarts, six years since she stood up in front of the Wizengamot for her trial which she was eventually cleared of all charges, and six years of receiving hate mail. Although, now the hate mail came on the battle's anniversary which just so happened to be today instead of coming in every other day.

Also, as if on cue, an insistent knocking sounded at her loft door though this usual occurrence was a welcomed one seeing as only two people knew where she lived, and one of those people was currently on magical house arrest so it could only be one other person.

Mustering up the brightest grin she could, Eir padded over to the door and opened up only to find Hermione Granger standing on the other side. Despite coming from a Pure-Blood family, Eir wasn't a fan of Voldemort's take on blood purity. If you had magic, you had magic- no ifs, ands, or buts. You were one of the same no matter if you were a pure-blood, half-blood, or muggleborn. And then going into Hogwart's only made her more stubborn when her childhood friend, Draco, started picking on Hermione because of her blood status as a muggleborn during their Second Year.

Draco hadn't been a fan of Eir befriending Hermione though when he told her parents who she was playing nice with and Eir got punished with several dark curses, he never tattled on her again and let her make her own decisions from then on. Though the older she got and the more her parents dragged her along to become one of Voldemort's finest, her friendship with Hermione became strained. Hermione had knew everything, every single one of Eir's fears about her parents making her do something she didn't want to but there was nothing they could do about it. She had even pleaded with Eir to go to Dumbledore so he could protect her but Eir had been too afraid to disobey.

Right before she and Draco started their Sixth Year at Hogwarts, both were branded with the Dark Mark and tasked with the mission of opening Hogwarts to the other Deatheaters. She had stood back and watched as Draco cried in front of Dumbledore before Snape stood in and killed their Headmaster right before her eyes. She had cried when Dumbledore fell only to be held back by Draco and taunted by Fenir. Everything after that horrific night went downhill- Eir witnessing the horrors of Voldemort's war path up until the final battle where she refused to go down as one of Voldemort's deatheaters and helped aid the Light side to their victory.

And now, at the ripe age of twenty-four, Eir attempted to fool Hermione into thinking that she was perfectly fine but they didn't call Hermione the brightest witch of their generation for nothing. The moment Hermione noticed Eir still in her pajamas, the darkness beneath her eyes still very prominent, and the half-arse grin she was being flashed- Hermione pushed her way inside Eir's loft with a frown and shut the door behind her.

"Night terrors?"

"And then some." Eir mumbles beneath her breath when she realizes Hermione isn't buying her charade and leads her friend to the kitchen, lamely gesturing to the window where the owls swooped by in hopes of delivering their mail.

Hermione sighed, unwinding the scarf from her neck and shrugging out of her outer coat before hanging it on the back of a chair. "You would think they'd stop after all these years." She muttered, walking over to the window and opening up to let the mayhem begin.

Eir cringed at every hoot and squawk the owls emitted as they dropped letters off on the table, Hermione feeding them owl treats before they swooped back out. "At least they don't send Howlers anymore." Eir decided to move about, preparing two mugs of tea for herself and Hermione. "You and Harry sending out that notice to every Auror and the newspapers helped out some."

"Yes, well, it's the least we could do after every memory and secret you gave up to help convict the captured Deatheaters."

Eir hummed, adding drops of honey to their drinks before picking them up and stumbling over to the table with her friend. "Careful, 'Mione, one would think I was a Deatheater no longer."

"Eir." Hermione groaned, nearly angry enough to slam the palms of her hands on the table. "You're not a deatheater. You were never a true deatheater to begin with!"

"Yes, well, I have the mark that says otherwise."

Hermione's gaze darts down to the faded mark, eyes narrowing as she waved her hand in Eir's direction. "You need to stop beating yourself up over that. We got your statements along with your memories. You. Are not. One of them."

Eir offered up a feeble grin as she felt her friend's magic wash over her arm, a glamour charm being cast to hide the reminder of her past. "Showoff." She scoffed as she sat down, picking up her mug of tea with both hands to take a sip.

Hermione finally smiled, picking up her own mug as she studied her friend. The war took it's toll on everyone, though not everyone had been put under the cruciatus curse by their own father and then proceeded to kill said parent when given the chance. Of course, it was all self defense but still. No-one should have that weight on their shoulders- least of all Eir.

Hermione had knew that the Wizarding World wouldn't be as forgiving as she and some others had been but she had hoped they would or at least learn to forgive, but apparently they hadn't if the hate mail was anything to go by. Eir's family had been the fifth richest family in the Wizarding World- a girl who had everything she ever wanted and needed but now, now she was subjected to a tiny loft and rarely ever left or changed out of her sleepwear.

"The Weasley's are having a dinner Halloween night." Hermione finally spoke up, steering conversation away from their past. "Molly said to extend the invite to you."

"Tell Molly I said thanks but no thanks." Eir ran her finger along the rim of her cup. "The last thing Harry needs on the anniversary of his parent's death is a tension filled dinner with an ex-deatheater."

"Eir.."

"Don't  _Eir_ me, 'Mione." She grumbled. "Ron still hates me and even though George plays nice, we all know a small part of him will always consider me as someone who aided in his twin's death." Hermione's opened mouth snapped shut, her shoulders slumping with defeat. "I'll always be grateful to Arthur, Molly, and Ginny for giving me a second chance right away but I don't want to make it uncomfortable for everyone else."

Hermione sighed but nodded nonetheless. "I'll tell her you're busy then. I don't like lying to her but if that's what you want-"

"Actually," Eir cleared her throat, biting the bottom corner of her lip as she made eye contact with her friend. "-I have a honest excuse that you could use."

"Which is.."

"I'm leaving the country."

Hermione choked on her tea, setting her mug down gently as she got herself under control. "E-excuse me?!"

"Come on, Herms." Eir's eyes lit up momentarily in amusement before dulling once more. "You don't expect me to live like this for the rest of my life, do you?" She gestured to the pile of letters on her table as well as the occasional owl that flew in to drop off another one. "I think it's time for a change."

Hermione fidgeted in her seat, gaze darting from the table of letters to the birds and then to Eir herself before she sighed and sunk down in her seat. "Moving won't change a thing. The owls will always find you."

"Yes but it'll take a whole lot longer and when the owners see just how exhausted their bird is, hopefully they'll think twice before sending another."

"Where do you plan to go?"

"America seems like it'll keep me busy." Eir answered honestly with a shrug. "I need to get out again- do something with my life but in order to do that, I need a clean slate."

Hermione wanted to argue- to plead with her friend to stay but she knew that Eir needed this. "You'll keep in touch?"

"Of course." Eir agreed. "Besides, I need help apartment hunting and since you're my favorite muggleborn-"

"I'm the only muggleborn you talk to."

"-you can help me out so I know what I'm doing when I interact with the muggles."

Hermione grinned before she started to chuckle. "Schooling a pure-blood on everything muggle. This should be fun."

* * *

**Well, up next is the city ;)**

**Just so you know, the first several chapters of this fic will be of Eir moving into the city, meeting Steve, and trying to familiarize herself in her new surroundings before we get to any action.**

**Just a fair warning, updates will come slow but not too slow. My laptop has been acting wonky and cutting off whenever it pleases but luckily, I have a good portion of this story already typed up. Updates will only be slow until I can finish writing the story and then they'll come more frequently. Good deal?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, Steve will not be holding on to his old-fashion beliefs. At least not entirely. Just read to see what I'm talking about.

Steve Rogers tried not to roll his eyes as he strolled down the sidewalk- he himself still not being used to all the attention he received.

It had been several years since the Battle of New York- years he spent riding around the states on his trusty motorcycle to familiarize himself with the country he once fought for before he ended up back where he started.

After the New York incident, S.H.I.E.L.D had offered every Avenger their space in hopes that they wouldn't mind being called in whenever the world was being threatened once more. He didn't mind being picked up by Agent Barton or Agent Romanoff in the Quintjet every other month when something Avenger worthy went down because after every mission, he was dropped right back off where they picked him up from so he could continue his road trip.

His trip had been insightful, Steve managing to see what the world had come to as well as opening up and giving in to the modern times. Along the way, he had given up on some of his beliefs that he grew up with though there were still some things he wasn't willing to give up which just so happened to be his manners. Sexual relations before marriage had been a tough decision but after being assured there wasn't any harm if he was in a committed relationship- well that specific belief went straight out the window.

Steve had been in Georgia when he met his first official girlfriend- the girl being nearly decent given how women acted now-a-days. She politely followed Steve's lead in the relationship and with how far he was willing to take said relationship before he finally fell into bed with her six months after they first started dating. After that one night though, she soon became more demanding and their relationship soon became about nothing but the sex- at least for her- and that was something Steve didn't want. He had soon ended things with her and decided to pack up and continue his trip for a while once again.

When Steve settled down in Texas a year later, he fell for a girl who lasted a whole year before they amicably split. She had been too nice, almost as nice as Steve when he first awoke from the ice, but after a while- the chemistry between them started to dwindle. They both saw it, both called it out, and split on good terms.

And now, now that Steve was back in New York because that's where his family (the Avengers) resided, he couldn't help but realize just how oblivious he had been before. He got leering looks from both genders, eyes which hungrily drunk him in but he knew better than to start something with someone who only wanted him for his looks. He wanted to be in a committed relationship just like every normal being, in a relationship with someone who wasn't star-struck by the Avengers when they were suited up or not, and someone who could be trusted with every single one of his secrets when he was allowed to spill them.

Steve had just exited the Avengers Tower moments ago and escaped the building with only one warning from Ms. Potts that his presence was required at Tony's Halloween party later that night. With promises to be back later, Pepper let him leave without any lectures and told him to get ready.

Hands tucked deep in the pockets of his khaki pants, Steve ducks his head down low to avoid the wandering eyes as his mind wanders back to that of the discussion they had with Agent Hill and Director Fury hours before. S.H.I.E.L.D's sources and all knowing scientists were picking up new energy signatures- signatures that were nearly similar to the tesseract readings when Loki was wreaking havoc- that were briefly showing up in one state before disappearing all together and showing up in another state days later. Director Fury was on the edge of his seat with this new case because any time their sources neared the signatures- they disappeared off grid and took longer to reappear once more. Thor had been called in because with possible magic coming into play, they immediately pinned the blame on Loki but Thor assured them his brother was locked up tight on Asgard and serving his punishment.

For the time being, S.H.I.E.L.D would be looking into it but since there had so far been no threat to the country's security- the team was allowed to hang out for now as long as they kept themselves in shape and available should a threat appear.

Steve had been too immersed in his thoughts for the eight blocks he walked to his apartment that was away from everything Avengers related, that he didn't see his building's front steps were only a few feet ahead or the female with her arms laden with grocery bags whose attention was on making sure she had the right building. It was only when they collided and her groceries fell to the ground did they acknowledge each other.

Startled blue eyes lock with terrified brown and pushing down his instinct to ask her what's wrong, Steve is quick to apologize for his actions as he bends down to pick up the fallen items. "I am so sorry, Miss. My mind seems to have wandered."

The moment Steve stands straight from picking up and shoving groceries back into a bag, he stares with hidden intrigue as the terror slowly bleeds away from the stranger's eyes only to be replaced by forced calm and aloofness. "It's quite alright." She murmurs politely, the British lilt of her voice catching him off guard. "Neither was I so it seems we're both to blame here."

For a moment, Steve thinks her young- the black and white striped long sleeve paired with faded jeans making her appear like a teenager but when he stares back into her eyes- something within him squirms uncomfortably. Light brown hair falls in waves around her face and pink lips shakily form a grin.

Steve then offers her a genuine smile, taking note how her grin seems like it's taking her much effort to muster up and as he passes back her groceries, it takes everything in him to not furrow his brows in confusion. She's not really paying him any attention like most females do- all giggles, flattering smiles, and batting eyelashes- instead her gaze is darting from either side of him to nearly peering over her own shoulder as if she's paranoid about something. His mind immediately picks apart that trait and realizes how similar it seems to be like two master assassins he knows but as far as he knew, S.H.I.E.L.D hadn't recruited anyone new.

"Uh, do you need help with these?" His mouth blurts before he can stop himself and easily masks his confusion at the unexpected reaction he receives.

Her eyes snap to up to him, widening a bit with  _shock?_  before her nose and mouth scrunches up in confusion, and it's then he realizes her fair complexion is nearly littered with freckles. "You want to  _help_  me?"

"Uh, yeah." Steve mumbles. His cheeks flush pink as she scrutinizes him, trying to figure out whether or not he has a motive. He hadn't been flustered around a female in quite some time and now, it's like he just woke up from the ice and is learning to talk to the female gender all over again. "I mean, it's the least I could do after making you drop everything. You probably have a good walk ahead of you and these bags can tire your arms out." Steve pauses a moment, watching as the female quirks an eyebrow at him and amusement briefly lights up her eyes. "N-not that you're not capable of carrying a heavy load." He amends when he realizes how his last statement came out. "I didn't mean to imply you were weak."

"While your offer is very generous, 'sir, I'm going to have to decline."

Steve's slow to respond, his mind lingering on her use of the word  _sir._ Every woman he's come across now-a-days were either calling him intimate pet names or  _dude_. The only people who called him sir were usually S.H.I.E.L.D agents. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't." Her amusement slowly fades away and Steve has no idea why her frown suddenly makes him uncomfortable and wanting to soothe her. "It's just, this is my stop." She gestures to the building they're standing in front of. "It's not that far of a walk."

Now it's Steve's turn to be surprised. "You live here? In this building?" At her nod, Steve manages a chuckle. "So do I. I didn't know anyone new had moved in."

"Yes, well, I did." She adjusts the bags in her arms now. "Two days ago, actually. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some milk that needs to be refrigerated." She politely tells him as she starts inching away.

"Right. Right.." Steve mumbles and quickly climbs the steps, opening the door to the building and holding it open for her. "I'm sorry for holding you back."

"It's quite alright, Mr-"

"Rogers, ma'am." He tells her when she trails off. "But you may call me Steve."

"Mr. Rogers." She suppresses a grin and Steve briefly wonders if the small ping of annoyance is what everyone else felt when he refused to call them by their first name.

He watches as she makes her way to the elevator but instead of joining her, he makes his excuse of taking the stairs because he's trying to delay as long as possible for having to get ready for a Halloween party. She nods in understanding and as the doors close- blocking her from view- Steve takes the stairs one at a time as he wonders how a young and beautiful woman like her could have such a haunted look in her eyes.

..

..

Eir scrambles into her apartment, dropping her bags of groceries twice before she has the door unlocked and kicks the groceries into her home before slamming the door behind her and locking it. She ends up leaning against said door, sliding down it as she tries not to hyperventilate over the first conversation she held with a muggle with her knees bent, elbows resting on her knees, and her head held in the palms of her hands.

It wasn't just the conversation that had her in such a frazzled state but rather the fact that she had just finished navigating herself around the city and purchasing groceries for the first time with American muggle currency especially with American muggles coming off a bit rude. While Hermione had made everything seem so simple,  _doing it_ was a whole different story, and then add that on top of a very good-looking muggle who seemed to see everything that was beneath the surface.. well it made Eir more than a tad bit nervous.

When Hermione was told she was to help Eir find a home in the States, Hermione made quick work and found a suitable apartment for her friend in Manhattan within a couple of days. Eir had no clue about lease signing- even after Hermione's crash course- so Hermione had traveled with Eir to the States and helped her set up two days ago as well as getting her money transferred to the Wizarding Bank hidden within New York City.

The apartment was quite small yet cozy- the sitting area and kitchen area being separated by a half wall divider which also served as a bar top. The kitchen was just large enough to house all the kitchen appliances a kitchen needed as well as a small two seat table. Across the room, opposite the kitchen, a small hallway which held two doors lead to the bathroom and bedroom. The sitting area, hallway, and bedroom had wooden floors while the bathroom and kitchen were black and white tile. Neutral colors made up the color palate for the entire place and Eir had figured once she was comfortable enough, she'd be switching up the colors to those of her liking.

Once Eir found herself under control, she picked herself up before kicking off her trainers and picked up her groceries to lug them into the kitchen. She made a mental note to write Hermione and tell her of her first shopping experience, it being similar to how she would shop in the Wizarding World only they used muggle money in a different currency and people were a bit meaner if you were slow.

It wasn't even seconds after she had put away her groceries that she saw her journal glowing on the bar top.

A genuine smile finally made itself known across her lips, the journal having been a gift from Hermione when she left. Since they were oceans apart, mailing each other via owl was out of the question. Her apartment hadn't come with a fireplace so flooing was out as well but luckily, Hermione spelled two journals so they could communicate with each other. Once something was written in it, from either side, the journal glowed until the other person opened it up and read or replied.

Picking up her journal and padding her way into the sitting area to curl up on the white sofa she had brought from England, Eir opens up the journal to read the words her friend had penned to her.

_How's Manhattan treating you? Have you eaten yet? No losses of temper?_

Rolling her eyes at Hermione being a mother hen, Eir leans forward to pick up her quill that laid atop the small coffee table and dips it in the ink pot to pen her own reply.  _It's fine and I just purchased some groceries so I'll eat in a bit. Thankfully, I have not blown up any of these fancy muggle gadgets._ The words disappear on her page as Hermione reads them but before her friend can reply, Eir puts her quill to the paper once more.  _I had my first conversation with a muggle moments ago. He seemed friendly._

Biting her lip in anticipation, she couldn't help but snort when Hermione's words appear.  _I immediately approve. You need some friends other than me._

_He bumped into me. Made me drop all my groceries. He was polite about it and even offered to bring my bags up but I declined._

_Oh, Eir, why?!_   _You need to put yourself out there. Don't seclude yourself like you did here. It's your fresh start, remember?_

Eir frowns as she mulls over Hermione's words. Of course she knew this was her fresh start but making friends is easier said than done.

When she first saw Steve, making contact with another being who wasn't trying to attack her or spewing angry words at her seemed to shock her. And then when she realized he wasn't a threat, she couldn't help but scan her surroundings for a threat.  _No worries, Herms. We live in the same building. I'm sure I'll get another chance to make nice with the bloke._

_Brilliant! I expect to hear more soon. I must go now- I'm helping Molly and Ginny cook tonight. You go eat and have fun, and I'll write you soon._

Eir quickly inks up her quill once more.  _Have fun!_

The words disappear as soon as they're penned, letting Eir know Hermione had read it and when nothing came back, Eir places her quill inside the journal and tosses it aside. Sighing to herself, Eir picks herself up and makes her way back towards the kitchen to find something to eat. Removing a rubber band from her wrist, she pulls back her waves of hair from her face and ties it back so she could tackle yet another muggle hobby. Cooking.

Back in the Wizarding World, it was easy to rely on her only loyal house elf but now that she lived in the muggle world, she had no elf and she wanted to use as little magic as possible while keeping her temper in check. It is known by very little witches and wizards that  _they are_ capable of using muggle technology if only their magic doesn't come in direct contact with said device. That or if a magical being were to lose their temper while around muggle technology, the technology was usually the first to find out that the magic user was losing control over their magic and ended up paying the price by fritzing out or exploding.

So while she wasn't exactly comfortable with muggle technology and appliances yet, she prayed to Merlin that she didn't burn the building down and started to read directions on how to boil packaged noodles.

..

..

Steve sighs for what feels like the umpteenth time that night. Twirling the thin straw in his drink that Tony had plopped down in front of him moments ago, Steve props up his free arm on the bar top and rests his chin in his hand while watching everyone else converse among each other.

After talking to the newest attendant in his apartment building- a person who he hadn't even asked her for her name- he went up to his own apartment and got ready as Pepper had requested. After showering and throwing on a pair of denim jeans and a black button down with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, Steve had made his way back to Stark Tower for the Halloween party that Tony was adamant about throwing. Though when Steve got there, he wouldn't have exactly called it a party seeing as the only people who had actually got invited was their team.

Their usual communal living area had dimmed lighting with orange and purple lights giving it a dark vibe. JARVIS was playing cheesy Halloween music, Pepper was fluttering about in a form fitted little black dress with sparkly stilettos complete with a pointed witch hat atop her head, and Tony swaggered around the place in his Iron Man suit. Clint and Natasha conversed with each other at the bar- both dressed in matching shirts that read  _Drunk 1_ and  _Drunk 2_  while Bruce had come in not longer after Steve had showed up, an orange bowl full of candy cradled against his chest before he set it on the bar to fix himself up a drink. Thor was the last to show up with his lady love Jane Foster, and when Thor had spotted Pepper's unusual attire and Tony walking around as Iron Man- the group realized they had never actually had any Holidays to themselves and eagerly explained Halloween to the Asgardian. Immediately, Thor had been insistent about wearing his battle attire for the evening as Tony was since he owned no such thing called a  _costume_.

"Chin up, Cap, it's a party." Clint appears from God knows where and takes a seat next to Steve, pulling America's favorite son out of his mind and to the present where Tony was attempting to eat more candy than Thor.

"I'm well aware, Agent." Steve mutters. "Just not in the mood."

"You hardly ever are." Natasha then appears as well, taking up the empty seat on Steve's other side. "But you're extra broody tonight. Pensive. Care to explain why?"

Steve snorts and shakes his head in denial. "I am not-"

"It's Nat you're speaking to, Rogers." Clint cuts him off with a teasing smirk. "Choose your next words very carefully."

As Steve nervously meets Natasha's gaze, she merely raises an eyebrow at him- challenging him to lie- and he slumps in defeat. "There's this girl-"

"Girl? I thought the Star-Spangled-Man only went after women?" The archer muses.

"Are you going to let me finish speaking or are you going to continue cutting me off?" Clint holds up his hands in mock surrender, his smirk fading away when he catches Natasha glaring at him. As Clint sinks back down in his own seat, Steve sighs and continues. "As I was saying, there's this girl- possibly mid-twenties who moved into my building a couple days ago-"

"And you banged her and now it's weird." Tony guesses aloud as he struts up to them, his Iron Man face mask sliding up. His cocky smirk falters just the slightest as Natasha turns her glare on him and Clint muffles his snickers in his glass. "What? What'd I say?"

Steve huffs at his team's immaturity and makes a move to stand but Natasha's hand on his shoulder keeps him seated. "Ignore them." She tells him straight-faced and had this been anyone else, Steve would have shrugged her hand hand off and left but it wasn't anyone else. It was Natasha- the Black Widow- who hardly ever showed any emotion reaching out to him and willing to listen to his problems. When Steve relaxes a bit, she offers him a quick grin. "Now, tell me about this girl."

At the different emotions playing across Steve's face, Tony suddenly becomes intrigued and takes a seat as well. "Yes, please, do tell!" Clint slides Tony a small tumbler of Scotch, both men remaining quiet as to not scare off their Captain.

"Er- well," Steve mumbles as he scratches the back of his head. "-there's this new female in my building who I bumped into earlier and uh-" He suddenly turns to Natasha. "-S.H.I.E.L.D didn't hire any new recruits, did they?"

At the mention of their place of work and possible new recruits, Clint and Tony perk up while Natasha shakes her head, brows furrowed in slight confusion. "No. They aren't recruiting at the moment. Why are you asking?"

"Bumping into this female had been an accident- neither of us looking where we were walking- but after we collided and I got a good look at her, she was terrified." He tells them, his mind replaying their encounter again. "Her eyes.. you can tell she's seen something or has  _been through_  something that left quite the impression. When she realized I meant no harm, she was scanning her surroundings for a threat." He admits to them, his own gaze never leaving the bar top as he spoke. "I just- I can't get her eyes out of my head. It was like watching a trained soldier but.. I don't know. It was off putting."

Clint and Natasha had instantly went still, the two sharing glances at one another. The group had lapsed into a silence and surprisingly but not  _that_  surprisingly, it was Tony who broke the silence. "Maybe she's running away from someone." He shrugs indifferently. "That could explain why she was terrified running into someone and then scanning her surroundings. She probably has an abusive ex looking for her. That or she owes someone money and is trying to hide."

"You think so?" Steve asks, pursing his lips in contemplation.

Tony hummed. "Totally. Some men are assholes and some women seem innocent but looks can be deceiving." He sips his drink and just like that, the moment of being serious is suddenly over for him. "So was she hot?"

Steve scowls but Tony merely waggles his eyebrows. Natasha had sighed then, giving up hope and this conversation taking on a serious note again, and told Steve that as much as she didn't want to admit it, Tony was probably right. When Clint agreed as well while also throwing in that New York wasn't exactly known to be friendly and innocent, Steve muttered that they had a point. Natasha and Clint then decided to go mingle with Thor but not before sneaking some candy from Bruce's bowl on their way out.

When Tony didn't relent with his shit eating grin, Steve sighs. "Yes, Stark, she's beautiful." And when Tony lit up, Steve narrows his eyes at him suspiciously. "And if you take one step near my building, I'll sic Pepper on you on!"

Tony frowns but holds his hands up in mock surrender, polishing off the rest of his drink before his Iron Mask slid back down to cover his face. As Steve was left to sit by himself yet again, Tony's words of the female having an abusive ex or owning someone money ran through is mind. For some reason, a man beating up on her didn't sit well with him. Hell, any man beating up on a woman didn't sit well with him but this particular female was living in his building now and he'd be damn if he sat back and let someone harm her. Even if the harm came from someone she owed money to. Everyone deserved a second chance and if she was willing, he'd be willing to help her out.

As Steve finishes off his own drink, he realizes that if he's going to keep an eye out for her, he'd at least have to learn her name.

* * *

**So, uh, their friendship and comfort with each other will be fast paced- sorry- but their relationship will not happen for quite a while.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eir's outfit can be found [HERE](http://www.polyvore.com/second_chance_chapter/set?id=110653438).

Two days.

It'd been two days that Eir had been cooped up in her apartment- and two days that Hermione threatened her to get out and about or she'd fly back to the States and drag her out into the streets by her hair. Eir had snorted, nearly choking on her drink as she had read that before assuring Hermione she'd get out soon. She was taking baby steps and acquainting herself with the muggle appliances in her home before she went up against the muggle world outside.

So now, on the third day of no human on human contact, Eir gathered up her Slytherin pride and put on her big girl knickers as she mentally prepared herself on getting out and about. She slipped on a white form-fitting tank top and paired it with faded skinny jeans, a four-pocket military shirt jacket, and dark suede slouchy heeled boots. Muggle clothing had been a drastic change from the robes and pajamas she usually wore but a change that she welcomed nonetheless. She had left the shirt jacket unbuttoned and when she realized the sleeves were bunched at her elbows, she quickly gathered up her wand and cast a glamour charm over the faded dark mark so her arm looked blemish free.

Finding a hair clip, Eir gathered up her hair and twisted it up- clipping it in place so it stayed off the back of her neck. As she peered at herself in the mirror, she smoothed back her bangs behind her ears and cast yet more glamour charms so the circles beneath her eyes weren't as dark. When she felt that her appearance was suitable, she made her way over to a dark green messenger bag that Hermione had given her- extendable charms magicked into two hidden pockets- and dropped in her wand. She had everything inside that she'd need in case she ever had an emergency- money, potions, ingredients, a cauldron, vials, books, and extra clothing- so the bag was also magicked as to not feel the true weight of it.

After making sure that she had more than enough muggle currency and a small map of her current location, Eir pulled the strap of her bag over her head and let it lay across her chest and back. She made quick work of locking up her apartment and made her way towards the elevator to take her down to the ground level.

It was time to make nice and familiarize herself with her new surroundings.

..

..

Steve had just pulled up to his apartment building on his motorcycle for a brief moment, his mind replaying the earlier event of Tony brandishing information on the female he met days ago.

He hadn't even asked Tony to do any digging- didn't want to find out about her that way but after being pulled aside by Agent Hill the previous day and scolded for not paying attention during a meeting, the team took things into their own hands.

Bruce had granted Steve his space and intended to let him work it out on his own while Thor didn't know much about why his Captain was distracted in the first place. Clint and Natasha had asked if he wanted them to check her out and do a background search but in the middle of telling them that he'd handle it, Tony walked in with a single paper held high up in the air with a proud yet not really satisfied smirk.

Her name was Eir Banning and she had come from Wiltshire, England on her own with only one emergency contact listed by the name of Hermione Jean. She was apparently as innocent as she appeared to be, nothing on her record to say otherwise. Tony had found her birth certificate along with her parents names and that was about it. Though the team claimed to let Steve figure this out on his own, a majority of them were bummed that Tony couldn't dig up more because they wanted to see what this mystery girl looked like seeing as Steve refused to give them any details. They learned she attended a private boarding school at the age of eleven- same as her parents had- and then dropped off the radar at the age eighteen only to appear in New York at the age of twenty-four. Tony had been skeptical because no-one was that  _clean_ but after being threatened bodily harm by Steve and then Pepper, well Tony was forced to let it go.

When Steve realized he was thinking about her again, he shook his head as if to clear it only to find the woman haunting his thoughts step out from their building. She looked refreshed and less tired than the day he had bumped into her, and even saw a genuine grin grace her lips as she took a deep breath of fresh air.

When he saw that she seemed to be okay and not as on edge when he bumped into her, he allowed himself a moment to drink in just how beautiful she was with her hair lazily pulled back.

As she stepped down and came to a brief stop at the bottom step, Steve shook himself free of his trance and readied to continue riding his bike so he could park it around the corner in a trusty parking garage. Only when his bike make a rumble, Eir's attention snapped to him and he had to gulp when she caught him glancing at her. She offered him a sheepish smile and with a polite nod back at her, Steve went to kick off but was stopped when Eir nervously bit her bottom lip before angling her body towards him and walked his way.

..

..

Eir stepped out of the building, face tilted towards the sky as she took in a deep breath to calm her nerves and grinned as the sun warming her face actually made her feel a bit better. She was ready to take on Manhattan and possibly get lost as she learned about her surroundings while also trying to find a place to eat that didn't involve packaged noodles. She definitely had enough of those.

As she skipped down the steps, the rumble of an engine very near by caught her attention and when she found the source, she was surprised to see Steve Rogers sitting on a motor bike and nearly gaping at her. Blood instantly rushed to her cheeks and the tips of her ears burned before she found the courage within to sheepishly acknowledge his presence and offer him a grin.

Steve sat there in khaki pants, boots, and a blue plaid shirt beneath a brown leather jacket- his blonde hair impeccably styled for him traveling without a helmet. The moment he acknowledged her presence and seemed like he was about to move on, Eir pushed down her fear and figured now was the time to at least make one muggle friend, and who better than the polite gentleman who she didn't give a chance to in the first place?

So quickly pulling herself together, Eir made her way towards him while hooking her thumbs in her jean pockets. As she neared him, she can see Steve visibly gulp before he pulls himself together. "Ma'am." He greets her.

"Hullo, Mr. Rogers." Eir flashes him a hesitant smile. "I, uh, I just thought I'd officially introduce myself since I wasn't being as polite as I should have our first encounter." She blushes again and Steve can't help but realize that she actually seems at ease now if only a bit nervous. "I'm Eir. Eir Banning." She holds out her hand, remembering what Hermione said about muggle tradition of hand shaking when meeting someone new.

"Eir." Steve tries out her name even though he already knew it as he shakes her hand. "Eir as in  _air_ ," he gestures somewhat wildly up in the air. "-or Eir as in Norse mythology  _Eir_?"

"You know your myths." She coyly grins and Steve easily notices the way she seems to suddenly be at ease.

"Somewhat." He chuckles. The duo lapse into a silence, Eir's lips pursed funnily as she shifts weight from foot to foot nervously. Steve smiles at her because this is way different from how other females usually interact with him. While majority of the women he comes across stare with confidence and are quite forward, Eir is shy and polite. "You seem better." He mutters before he could reign the words back in. Eir's eyes dart to him, her amusement fading and Steve mentally curses. "What I mean is, you seem less..  _edgy_?" He tries. "When we first met, you seemed scared. You kept scanning your surroundings waiting for something or someone to jump out at you." He blurts nervously and wow, he was making himself seem like a schmuck.

Understanding seemed to dawn on her face, her demeanor relaxing once more as Eir laughs in relief. "Yes, well, what do expect from a bird who moves to a big city all on her lonesome?"

"Bird?" Steve's brows furrow in confusion.

"Yes, er- British slang for  _girl_." She explains with a sheepish grin. "And I wasn't as scared as much as I was frazzled with everything here. It's so different from home."

"Right." Steve drawls. "I never thought about the possibility that you'd be living on your own." Lie. Total lie. Well, not exactly but he already knew she was living on her own before she told him. "If I were in your shoes, I'd be suspicious of everyone too. You'd never know who's going to mug you."

"Mug me?" And now it's Eir's turn to look confused.

"Uh- rob you?" Steve tells her, he himself becoming suspicious of her because who didn't know what mugging meant in this day and age?

"Oh, right. Right." She quickly mumbles. At Steve's suspicious look, Eir knew she'd have to hurry and excuse her naivety. "I lived a sheltered life." She shrugs with aloofness. "I was a bit of a recluse back home. My moving here was so I could start fresh and when my friend found out I was falling back into old habits, she threatened me that'd she'd fly back here and drag me out by my hair if I didn't get out to explore. Crazy cow." She mutters mostly to herself but Steve still hears.

"Ah." Steve then chuckles. "Hence the reason for getting out now."

"Exactly!" She beams before sighing and relaxing, thumbs still tucked in her pockets. "I'll probably just roam for a bit, grab a bite to eat, get lost, and then try to find my way back home."

Steve's grin falters at hearing her getting lost before he masks his slip-up. "Are you sure that's a good idea? It's a big city."

"I have a map."

"Maps for around here can be confusing." He tries again.

"Well, we learn from our mistakes, right?"

Steve nervously chuckles and nods. "Yeah, well, if you're up to it I can show you around-"

"No! No." Eir immediately rejects the idea. At Steve's crestfallen expression, she backpedals. "It's just.. I don't want to pull you away from your plans. I'm pretty sure getting lost isn't as bad as you make it out to be."

"It's no problem, really." He assures her when he realizes she wasn't being mean by rejecting his offer. "I was just going to park my bike and find something to cook in my apartment. If I show you around, I can help you memorize different routes that'll bring you back here as well as find myself something to eat."

Eir snaps her mouth shut before biting her lip on contemplation. Her gaze dart from him to a few buildings surrounding them but Steve realizes this behavior is different from when he first met her. The first time, she was scanning for something while this time, she was just averting her gaze as she thought over his suggestion. "Well- only if you're sure? I really don't want to be a bother."

"Positive." Steve smiles at her. "Wait here and let me just park my bike around the corner. We'll walk."

Eir nods, sighing out in relief with a grin. When Steve flashes a brilliant and encouraging smile at her and kicks off on his bike, Eir stumbles back to the steps and takes a seat while she waits.

Plan 'Befriend-a-Muggle' had now been set in motion.

..

..

Eir was most certainly not freaking out. Well, okay, she was but at least it was all mentally and not physically.

While she knew Manhattan was a big place, she didn't expect it to be this big. Buildings on either side of her shot high in the sky, muggles littered the side-walks as they went about their day, motor vehicles pressed passed each other making a terrible loud noise every now and then with their drivers and passengers shouting out the windows or making crude hand gestures.

She listened intently as Steve pointed out the best shops and cafes as well which streets and cross sections she needed to remember if she ever got lost out on her own. She drank it all in, smiling politely and laughing with him when he spoke of his own experiences of getting lost and having to phone a friend to pick him up.

And that was only within the first seven blocks.

As they neared one particular building, Eir noticed that there was an abundant of people in black suits hanging around, entering the building and/or exiting. It seemed like a normal building, though when Eir actually took a good look at it, she noticed it was a ways away from the other buildings that were pressed together and was rather uniquely structured with glass  _everything_.

When Steve caught her staring curiously at this particular building, he sighed dejectedly . "That would be Tony Stark's tower. I take it you've read about it?"

"Hmm. No." Eir shook her head as she stares up at possibly the tallest building she's seen for the past few blocks. "Well, not really." She then amends. "We do have telly's across the pond, Mr. Rogers." She teases with a grin. "The news channels aired this building quite a lot and showed the Avengers saving the day."

Steve tenses, his gaze snapping down to Eir only to see her shrug before averting her gaze and continuing on with her walk and well, he didn't expect  _that._ Most people who were this close to Stark Tower- er Avengers Towers- swooned or had a camera attached to their hand in hopes of catching one of them on camera. He was just lucky he had a mask and no-one knew his true identity.

As the two of them continue down the block, Steve's curiosity gets the best of him. "So you're not a fan of the Avengers or something?"

From the map Eir had been peering down at in her hands while leaving marks on it, she glances up Steve. "Why do you say that?"

"Because you just strolled by their home quarters without so much as batting an eye."

Eir straightens up upon hearing that, her gaze sliding back to the tower that she could still see up in the sky. "Huh." She grunts. "The telly didn't tell us that."

She went back to studying her map and Steve nearly chokes on his tongue in surprise. "Huh.  _Huh?!_ " His eyebrows are on the verge of connecting with his hairline. "That's all you have to say?"

"Mhm." She hums before folding her map and putting it away. "They're just people, Steve." She speaks softly, finally saying his first name instead of his surname. "People who put their lives on the line to keep the world safe and then go back to their home to relax and continue on with their lives when the crisis has been averted. I bet you they do normal things just like you and I when not on duty."

"Just people.." Steve murmurs. As he let her words sink in, a smile lights up his face when he turns to watch Eir walk and take in her surroundings before she stops at the cross-walk like he explained to her to avoid being run over. "I don't think they're  _just_ people." He suddenly muses aloud. "After all, we- I mean  _they,_ " He quickly amends and is relieved to see she didn't catch his slip-up. "-have that giant green hulk thing and apparently the God of Thunder."

Eir pauses a bit at that- Steve finally thinking he figured out what causes her to swoon over the Avengers before she actually shrugs it off. "Ah, yes, well while I'm not entirely sure what the green hulk man is- the God of Thunder is merely a man once you strip away his hammer, is he not?"

"Uh, I guess so." And now Steve has to scratch his eyebrow in thought. Eir is really proving to not be like the others.

They continue to walk, Steve waiting patiently whenever Eir would bring out her map and mark something down and write notes off to the side so she'd remember why she wanted to revisit a certain place. As they walked and Steve pointed out other places she should visit or give a piece of history about a certain piece of structure- Steve also learns a bit about Eir.

She told him that her favorite color was blue after having been subjected to everything green when she was a kid, she didn't watch the telly unless she was watching the world news, and she'd listen to any type of music but her favorites usually fell in the Rock category.

She also- very carefully- explained bits and pieces of her  _strict childhood_  and that she was truly on her own in New York since her father was dead and mother was missing.

When Steve asked why she wasn't looking for her mother, he noticed that her happy demeanor faltered and tried to change the subject only to barely hear her mutter about her mother not being a good person.

She left it at that, her smile now looking as if she were forcing it, and Steve immediately changed the subject. He told her of his interests, how he liked to sketch in his down time when he wasn't running back and forth from events as  _security detail_. She didn't question his job which he was grateful for and when he started to talk about his interests in books, he found out she was an avid book reader as well.

They continued on like that, trading mundane tidbits of their lives before Eir grumbled about starving. Steve had laughed, said he could go for a bite to eat as well when Eir suggested something about hot dogs.

"My friend told me I wouldn't be a true New Yorker unless I ate from a street vendor." She grinned easily now. "So tell me, Mr. Rogers, do you know of a place that sells excellent street food?"

Steve laughs openly, partly because of what her friend told her, partly because she was interested in street food, and partly because she was back to using his surname. "Come along, Miss Banning." He offered her his elbow as a gentleman should. "I know of a spot where the man even pours chili atop the hot dog."

"Chili?" Eir's eyes widen, her mouth twisted in scowl as she took Steve's offered arm and hooked her arm through his. "I thought hot dogs were eaten with your hands?! Wouldn't adding chili to the equation be messy?"

"You have no idea." He tells her with a grin before averting his gaze and leads her further into the city.

..

..

After a few more minutes of walking and trying to memorize her surroundings, Eir finds herself being led into Central Park. The spacious paved walkway Steve led her down was lined by an iron fence that was about knee height, lamp posts every few feet, and numerous benches so you could rest and enjoy the view. Trees were planted in straight lines along the paved pathways that cut through the park, their branches hanging high above and entwined with one another giving the walkway a tunneled look.

"It's beautiful." Eir breathes in awe, her eyes taking in the way the sun filtered in through the leaves and branches.

"You think that now." Steve hums as he too looked about. "Wait until Christmas when they put up lights and snow is covering everything." Eir stumbles a few steps, thanking Merlin that she was holding onto Steve, and peers up at Steve with wide eyes before looking back out at the scenery and blinking owlishly which Steve had to laugh at. "Come along, ma'am. Let's go find you a street cart to eat from."

As they came to a cross section of the park, Steve found them a street vendor that sold hot dogs but without chili. After Eir refused to walk any further for food because her stomach was making some serious complaints, Steve caved and promised to introduce her to chili dogs another day.

Quickly agreeing to try the messy food any other day, Steve ordered them two dogs- one for him and one for her- with only mustard and relish to start her off easy. When Eir tried to pay for her own, Steve waved her off and told her to think of it as a  _welcome to the city_  lunch.

With their dogs in hand plus extra napkins, Steve led the way to a shaded bench where they both took their seats. Steve immediately bit into his hot dog, smiling wide with his cheeks stuffed as Eir eyed hers warily.

"It's delicious." He mumbles after making sure to swallow his food before speaking. "Try it while it's still warm."

He had finished his hot dog in three bites before Eir even attempted a bite on her own. The tentative bite she took has Steve watching on in amusement before he full out laughs at the mustard that stains her upper lip without her knowing. When she suspiciously narrows her eyes on him, he's quick to pull his cell phone out of his pocket and snap a picture.

When the flash went off and Eir realizes it's a tiny muggle camera, her eyes widen comically before she places her food on the bench space in between them, and swipes for the camera. "You wouldn't dare keep that photo!"

"Oh, I would."

"Mr. Rogers!"

"Miss Banning.." He mocks.

Eir huffs, eyes darting from holding Steve's gaze to the black object in his hand as he grins coyly at her. Lips forming a pout, Eir turns her face away from him as she picks up her food and continues to eat in silence.

"Oh, come on. Don't pout." He laughs. "It's your first photo in your new home. I'll text it to you so you can frame it."

Eir's lips twitch in amusement before she faces him with a sheepish expression. "I, uh, I don't own a cellular device."

Steve's chuckles fade after her comment and when he notices her cheeks glowing pink, he can't believe it. "You're joking, right? Everyone owns a cellphone nowadays."

"Strict upbringing, remember?" She mutters shyly. "I was never allowed one." She easily lies.

Steve gapes for a moment before his mouth snaps shut and he immediately stands to his feet. "Well that just won't do." He mutters. Taking in how much food she had left, he claps his hands together as he comes up with a plan. "Okay, new plan for the rest of the day. Instead of continuing this tour, we're getting you a phone. You need one if you're going to live in the city."

"Wha- no!" Eir shakes her head. "I'm fine without one and besides, I wouldn't even know how to use it!"

"And that's what you have me for!" He chirps. "Come on, Banning, I'll start you off easy! We'll get you a pre-paid phone so you don't have to deal with contracts right now." He muses aloud. "And then when you get settled down here, you can look into the more advanced phones. They're really not that difficult to use once you get the hang of them."

Eir bites into her hot dog, eyes narrowed on Steve as she chews thoughtfully. Steve continues to stare at her, grinning from ear to ear and he balances on the balls of his feet. He looked so determined to help her settle in that Eir finds herself easily caving into his plan but not before she made him wait it out until she finished her lunch.

..

..

Hours later, Eir finds herself curled up on her couch with a brand new cellphone that only had one number- Steve's- programmed into it. He sat with her on the front steps of their apartment building and showed her how to find his number to make a call, and how to text him. When he asked if she wanted to program any other numbers in, he was surprised to hear that none of her friends in England had phones either because they were a close knit community.

After trying to familiarize herself with the small device, Eir soon tosses it aside in favor of her journal. Opening it up and picking up her quill to dip it in the ink pot, she smiles easily as she pens her friend a note.

_I think I made my first friend today. He was definitely nice and even bought me lunch which just so you know, hot dogs aren't that great. He also made me buy one of those muggle cell phone devices. Mr. Weasley would have a ball with this. How's the work load?_

* * *

**I am ashamed with myself. I thought I could make this more believable- the start of their friendship that is- and I realized that Steve isn't as shy with her as I had hoped to write him.**

**Oh well, I'm still going to write this out and hope that you continue to stick with me.**


	4. Chapter 4

An insistent chirping is what wakes Eir from her slumber.

She had been dead tired from the previous day's activities and once she got Hermione going- via journal- Hermione had wanted to know every little detail. She told Hermione how she made the first move in befriending Steve and apologized for being short with him their first meeting, she told her about Steve offering to show her around so she wouldn't get lost, how he paid for her lunch, and how he even encouraged her to get her first muggle cellular device.

Hermione, of course, had been ecstatic and demanded to learn more about Steve Rogers. Eir had laughed, made herself some dinner- which consisted of pasta yet again- and ate in between telling her friend that she didn't know much about the man who lived in her building. When Hermione made a fuss, Eir decided to tell her that she was pretty sure she'd find out more soon considering he offered to show her Central Park during Christmas time. Which, of course, had been the wrong thing to tell Hermione because she wanted photographs as soon as possible!

As the chirping continues, Eir tries to block it out and muffles the sound with her pillows, and for a few minutes it works! That is until it starts back up again minutes later. Groaning, Eir kicks off her blanket, tosses her pillows to the end of her bed, and sits up with a huff.

"What in Merlin's beard.."

The chirping suddenly stops, her cranky groan breaking the morning silence now. Sunlight filters in through the white lace curtains hanging over her bedroom window, and the sounds of the city life below become distinguishable now.

Eir sleepily looks around her room, tired eyes drinking in the sheer white crispness of her room. Nose crinkling in distaste, Eir makes a mental note to ask Steve where she could go to purchase some paint so she could personalize her little place soon. While magicking the walls to the appropriate color she wants would be fairly easy, she felt that blending in with the muggles was her best choice if she really wanted to learn to live among them.

Now that the only noise she can hear was the city life outside, she sighs and falls back on the mattress, her eyes following the circular motion of her ceiling fan. The moment she makes herself dizzy, she closes her eyes to try and get some more rest but the chirping sound is suddenly back.

Rolling out of bed, Eir lands in a crouch and glares around her room only to have her gaze settle on the black glossed wooden bedside table where the infuriating sound is coming from. It's her cell phone.

Rolling her eyes for forgetting she had the small device, Eir crawls up to the table and pulls down the phone so she can see the screen. It's a rectangular touch-screen phone- the phone having some name that she didn't bother to remember- and presses the slim button on the side to light up the screen. What greets her is a small square picture of a smirking Steve and the alert telling her she has one new text message.

With her annoyance dwindling, Eir unlocks the screen and after a couple minutes of fumbling, she opens up the text to read:  _'Rise and shine! I have a work meeting soon but should be free after noon. Still need a tour guide?'_

Smiling fondly at Steve's generosity, her smile is wiped off when she sees the time stamp of 8:25A. When she checks for the current time, she finds it's only 8:30A and tosses her phone on her bed before standing up. She needs to get caffeine in her system or else she'd send back numerous messages about what time is acceptable to wake her up and if he ever woke up so bloody early again, well she'd find some way to physically maim him.

After smoothing out her blue flannel pajama shirt and pants, Eir picks up her phone and heads out into the hallway and towards her kitchen to tackle making a pot of coffee. Though on her way towards the kitchen, a familiar pecking sound against a glass surface has her freezing mid-step.

Dread immediately fills her, Eir wishing that she wasn't hearing what she was currently hearing. Slowly but surely, she swivels on the balls of her feet and finds a Verreaux's Eagle Owl perched on her window sill with an envelope gripped in it's beak and pitch black eyes staring at her. Tears immediately gather and sting Eir's own eyes. She knew it was inevitable but she at least hoped that putting distance between herself and her true home would make the hate-mail all go away. She's partly terrified to open the window and face the wrath of whatever was written to her now, and partly very thankful that her window is on the back of the building because an owl perched on her window sill would definitely raise questions- especially since the owl was out in the middle of the day.

When the owl starts to peck again as if asking why she isn't opening the window, Eir sighs as she lets the tears fall and clutches her phone tightly in hand before bringing it up near her face. With her mood having taken a turn for the worse, she suddenly isn't up for company, much less Steve's who would know something is bothering her. Quickly unlocking her phone and touching the screen so she could reply to Steve's message, she types out:  _'Rain check? The excursion yesterday overwhelmed me a bit. I didn't think the city was that big.'_

Instead of waiting for a reply after hitting send, Eir sets her phone down before gathering herself and making her way to the window. As the gray and dark brown owl swoops in after the window is opened, it drops the letter off at Eir's feet before flying to perch on the back of her sofa. Eir gulps, pushing down the lump in her throat before swiping at her cheeks to wipe away the tears. She was twenty-four years old for Merlin's sake! She shouldn't be crying over one measly letter yet as she peers down at the offending envelope she couldn't help but sniffle and bite her lower lip to keep it from trembling.

The owl hoots impatiently, drawing attention to itself and it's then that Eir realizes the ruddy bird is waiting for it's treat. Feeling slight annoyance for having to feed the bird who delivered her hate-mail, she quickly picks up the letter before tossing it on the small coffee table in front of her sofa and goes on a search for a cracker.

After feeding the bird, the owl hoots contently before flying further into her apartment and perches itself on top of her ice box. "You've got to be kidding me." Eir groans, any sign of tears long gone as she stares angrily at the bird. It wasn't the birds fault that it's owner wanted a reply but if the owner wasn't around, well then glaring at the bird was the next best thing. As if sensing the anger building in the witch, the owl hoots while fluttering it's wings before settling down again.

Grumbling to herself, the witch stomps over to her sofa before plopping herself down and picking up the offending envelope. She stares at her name scrawled on the front, some of her anger dissipating as she realizes the scrawl looks vaguely familiar.

Forehead crinkled in confusion, Eir quickly opens the envelope and pulls out a piece of folded parchment. After quickly opening it, her eyes immediately zero in on the senders name at the bottom and sighs in relief at finding the letter being from Draco.

_Eir, how's America treating you? I almost wish you had a horrible first week only because you found it fit to have Granger tell me you left. Really, Banning? Did it have to be Granger? Mum was a bit miffed, too, though she wishes you well and hopes you have settled in nicely. I still hope you burned your home down while attempting to cook. And speaking of cooking, your house elf showed up a couple days ago. She won't leave and breaks down occasionally but the others are trying to help her cope with your sudden disappearance. What do you want me to tell her?_

_Don't have much else to say other than I really do hope you're okay. Living like a muggle must be difficult, eh? Reply when you can and but let Sphinx rest for a day or two, please? He had a long trip._

_Draco._

Eir huffs a relieved laugh, the letter falling from her fingers down to her lap as she leans her head back to rest on the back of the sofa. It had been a while since she heard from her best friend what with Draco's house arrest not permitting him to leave the property and with her not being able to leave the comfort of her own home. As she sits there and thinks about it, she realizes that she could have been in the same situation as Draco had she not given up her memories and testified against other Deatheaters. Though Draco deflected at the end of the war like she had, he refused to give up any memories with the excuse that they were private and he didn't want anyone else to see what he had been through.

Eir had thought the same thing at one point- some traumas were better left in the past- but when the other option was Azkaban, she figured the Wizengamot could view her memories at their own risk. Draco had still refused and it was only with Harry's testimony that Draco wasn't as bad as they thought did they left Malfoy off with house arrest and limited magic.

Turning her head to the side, she catches the owl's attention by clucking her tongue. "Make yourself at home, Sphinx. I'll send a reply with you in two days." The howl hoots in approval, taking flight to land next to her on the sofa before pecking affectionately at her fingers, and takes flight once more but this time landing on the top shelf of a bookcase that had been empty sitting in the corner of the sitting room.

Chuckling as the bird makes itself comfortable, Eir pulls herself up and pads back into her room where her wand was left on the bedside table. Picking it up, she twirls the polished- spiral carved- hornbeam ten inch wand between her fingers before holding the wand out in front of her as she grins. "Expecto patronum!"

Silvery mist shoots out the tip of her wand, the mist traveling around her room, bouncing off the walls as it takes form of an ethereal fox. As the fox trots up to Eir and sits down mid-air, Eir relays her message. "Bloody hell, Drake! A little warning next time? I thought those annoying gits decided to write me nasty things once more and were actually awaiting my reply! And don't worry, Sphinx is already at rest making himself at home on my bookshelf. As for burning down my place, no such luck. Pasta is fairly easy to make and yesterday I actually ventured out into the city to eat but it's a big place so there's no telling when I'll feel up to it again. Tell Mousy I'm safe and that I'm sorry I couldn't bring her with me. I'm trying to settle in and blend in with the muggles so when I conquer that and fix Mousy up a room hidden from muggle's view, I'll call for her. Tell your Mum I say hello and that I'm sorry I didn't say my goodbye's myself but I needed to be on the move quickly before anyone caught wind that I was relocating. And be grateful I sent Hermione! You're lucky it wasn't Potter or better yet, Weasley. I'll send more details of my little adventure back with your bird in two days. Until then, behave!" Feeling confident with her message, Eir slightly waves her wand and the fox immediately stands to attention. "Take the message to Draco."

And with an eerie nod of confirmation from her patronus, the fox darts around her room before disappearing through the wall.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

Steve had sent Eir a text message, more than likely waking her up in the process to see if she wanted to get out again after his meeting.

When Agent Hill had sent out a mass text message to several of them and stated they were needed  _asap_ on the Helicarrier, Steve had hopped on his trusty motorcycle and driven straight to Avengers/Stark Tower where everyone else already lived and awaited the arrival of the Quinjet.

Since he was headed to a meeting with the Director, Steve had put his phone on silent and slipped it in his jacket pocket once they boarded the jet atop the tower. In the midst of moving around, he never heard or felt his phone vibrating in his pocket so he didn't see Eir's reply until later.

Once the Quinjet landed safely on the Helicarrier, the team was met by Agent Hill who escorted them without a word to a rather large charcoal gray room with only a table and several chairs occupying it. As soon as the team was inside, Hill took her leave.

Tony immediately takes the chair at the head of the table, yanking the chair back before plopping himself down. With a cocky smirk to his teammates, he props his feet atop the table before crossing his ankles and pulls out his phone to occupy his time. Natasha mentally rolls her eyes as she refuses to show any reaction to Tony's antics, taking her seat furthest from the billionaire and sits with her back completely straight and ready to get the meeting started.

Steve and Clint chose to sit on either side of the only female on their team, Clint sighing as he sits hunched- an elbow propped up on the table with his chin resting in the palm of his hand while Steve sits rather ram-rod straight waiting for the meeting to start much like Natasha. Bruce is the only one who opts to sit near Tony- angling his head down as he hides his own amused grin at his teammates unwillingness to sit near the erratic man.

As Bruce pulls out his glasses from his shirt pocket and starts to clean the lenses with a small silk cloth, Tony sighs out in boredom. "So does anyone know what we're here for?" He asks as his eyes never leave the screen of his phone. "Pulling me away from a very warm bed and a very willing Pepper-"

"Ahem." Bruce clears his throat, stopping Tony mid-rant as he was the only one that Tony actually listened to. Well, besides Pepper that is.

"Right.. right." Tony huffs. "No offending team members. Got it." He mutters and continues on with his phone.

As the room falls into an eerie silence, the door opens and in walks Director Fury- his infamous black leather trench coat billowing behind him and a beige dossier tucked beneath his arm.

"Thank god." Tony sarcastically praises. "Let's get this over with so I can go home and get back to bed."

"I'm going to ignore your lack of respect as usual," is the first thing from Fury's mouth as he takes his seat, placing the dossier in his lap and out of view for the moment. "-and just jump right in. As you recall, our scientists have been picking up energy signatures for a week now- energy signatures that are seeming more and more magical by the day. This threat has been moved from code yellow to code orange." Immediately, everyone sits just a little straighter and gives Fury their full attention which is a bit surprising seeing as Tony blows everything off until they personally attack him. "The ones responsible have upped their game- now leaving buildings in flames and modifying civilian's memories." Clint visibly tenses, his jaw flexing in anger. "We've sent some Agents in when the signatures flared the brightest and found some buildings left in ruins but when the Agents went in to collect the civilians statements, they don't remember anything while others seems to think that nothing is amiss though the ruined building is right in front of their eyes."

"Did they run any scans?" Banner speaks up. "Any abnormalities or signature spikes to give us any clue what exactly this is? What or who we're dealing with?"

Fury shakes his head. "We had some scans done but the equipment seemed to malfunction so we took some blood to have it tested elsewhere. Nothing is amiss."

"Impossible." Clint fumes though he manages to keep his anger in check. "The last time someone manipulated the minds of people, Loki was responsible. What's keeping us from pinning the blame on him?"

"Other than Thor's word from last week, nothing is keeping us from blaming him." Fury acknowledges his fuming Agent, letting Clint simmer rightfully in anger. "Though Thor took a trip back home again and we haven't heard from about these new developments, Loki  _is_  a suspect though he's  _not_  our number one. Until Thor returns to vouch for his psychotic brother's whereabouts, we have to keep an open mind that this is something entirely new. And we have an inkling it is someone new because they've been leaving behind their mark."

"Mark? What mark?" Tony is suddenly intrigued at this new development.

Without a word, Fury tosses the dossier he had in his lap atop the table causing a bit of it's papers to slide out from it's confines. Tony rolls his eyes at Fury but it's the small portion of an image on one of the papers that has Steve reaching forward and snatching the dossier before Tony could reach it.

Instead of reading any of the reports, Steve pushes aside all the papers so nothing obscures what he was seeing. His body visibly tenses, eyes raking over the paper which holds a photograph taken by someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. The ruined building is still smoldering, a visible image seared into the concrete that portrays a snake slithering out the mouth of a skull. As he continues to study the image, his brows furrow in confusion and his shoulders slightly drop.

"Look familiar to you, Cap?" Tony drawls before leaning across the table and snatching the image to study on his own.

Everyone suddenly turns to Steve as he quickly chances an annoyed glance at his teammate but shakes his head in denial. "For a moment, I thought it was HYDRA but the mark is different. This one has a snake coming out of the mouth whereas HYDRA used octopus limbs and only the top portion of a skull."

Tony quickly grows bored with the image and passes it around for the rest of his teammates to see.

"HYDRA is also on our list but as before, we can't prove it. We can't pinpoint a location because they're jumping all over the place so until we do, keep your eyes and ears open, and keep your phone on and available at all times." Fury stands before he gathers the dossier and retrieves the one piece of paper from Natasha before sweeping out of the room.

..

..

After being dismissed and the team settled back on the Quinjet to head back to the Tower, Steve finally has time to check his phone. He finds Eir's message that had been sent several minutes after he had originally texted her and eagerly opens it up.

_'Rain check? The excursion yesterday overwhelmed me a bit. I didn't think the city was that big.'_

He snorts at how true her words were, the city having overwhelmed him once before as well before finally responding back.  _'Of course. If you thought that tour was overwhelming, I'm curious as to how you'll react to everything else.'_

This time, he has his phone in hand when Eir replies,  _'Bloody hell! Before you throw me into an early death by with what Manhattan has to offer, I have a favor to ask.'_

Steve's chuckle is enough to immediately catch Tony and Clint's attention- the two men have never before seen their Captain text with much enthusiasm much less laugh.  _'You won't call me Steve but you'll use inappropriate language? I have a feeling my impression of you is wrong. Of course, what do you need?'_

As Steve waits to see what she needs, he chances a look up only to see Tony smirking, Clint studying him curiously as well as Natasha who has her head cocked to the side with her lips pursed in thought. "Are you sexting?" Tony waggles his eyebrows at him. "Please tell me you're sexting! I need something greatly amusing to hold over your head."

"W-what?!" Steve splutters, his eyes going wide at Tony's words. Clint snickers but is quickly stopped by a discrete jab to his ribs from Natasha. "No! Of course not. I'm just texting a friend."

"Mhm." Tony hums in glee, his eyes twinkling at Steve's inability to act like a normal hormonal being. "And just who is this friend you have? Since we've known you, you've never made a friend outside of S.H.I.E.L.D so spill Star Spangled Banner." Throughout the teasing, Bruce had been discretely paying attention- he too wanting to know who this so called friend is. When Steve doesn't answer, his gaze darting back and forth from Tony and his phone, Tony suddenly perks up. "It's the England chick, isn't it?!"

Steve starts to splutter yet again, denying that it isn't her but his blush gives him away. Tony cackles in glee, demanding to know if Steve has a picture on his phone because he needs to see that  _like yesterday._

By now, Clint, Natasha, and Bruce are all paying attention and not bothering to hide that they're interested in who this female is as well.

When the phone vibrates in his hand, Steve ignores his teammates in favor of reading Eir's reply.  _'The color theme of my place is absolutely horrendous. Whenever you have free time, can you show me where to purchase paint?'_ Steve nervously smiles and readies to reply only to have the phone suddenly snatched from his hands.

"Tony!" Steve glares at the man who took his phone and lunges for it, only to have Tony dodge every attempt of Steve trying in vain to get the phone back. "Knock it off, Stark."

Tony continues to laugh, his eyes glued to the screen of the phone before he beams proudly at his teammate. "Please tell me you're going to show her around. You must! And then you can swing by the tower so we can officially meet her."

"I am and I will not!" Steve finally swipes his phone back but the damage had been done. Tony had read the messages though luckily he hadn't gone through his photo album. "Yesterday was the first day we actually communicated. I'm not sure I even want to introduce her to the Avengers because the moment I do, she'll piece together my presence and figure out who I am."

Clint and Natasha's amused demeanor immediately drop. "She knows who we are?" Clint asks.

Turning away from Tony, Steve nods. "The Avengers were showed quite a lot on TV across the pond." He admits. " _But_ ," He trails off, his expression softening as he recalled the previous day's conversation. "-she's different than the others who know who you are." He tells them as he quickly looks down at his phone and sent back his reply of  _'Sure. Just let me know when you want to go and I'll make sure I'm off of work to escort you around and help out.'_.

"And how exactly is she different?" Tony muses, wanting to know everything about the girl who caught the Captain's attention.

"She doesn't care that we're superheroes." Steve murmurs before taking his seat. "When I was showing her around yesterday, we passed by the tower and it didn't phase her one bit. I was surprised that she immediately didn't start to swoon over being so close to our  _home_ and when I asked her why, she admitted that she thought we were  _just people_." The corners of his lips twitch and when he looks up to see Bruce and Natasha smiling fondly at him, he clears his throat. "She appreciates that we-  _they-_ saved the world but she wasn't looking to catch a glimpse of anyone. She just walked on by and asked me to show her the nearest street vendor because her friend told her she needed to try a hot dog from the streets."

Tony snorts. "I don't know whether to be appalled or approve." He chuckles before shrugging. "Ah, I say go for it and if you ever want to introduce this chick to us, bring her by the tower. I promise to behave. For a minute or two."

Bruce's lips twitch in amusement, the scientist bringing his glasses back out from his shirt pocket and starts to fiddle with them as a distraction. Clint nods along with Tony's words while Natasha gives him a smirk before rearranging her facial features to look disinterested and averts her attention once more.

As Steve sits back and continues to text back and forth with Eir, he can't help but realize that his friends just all approved of his friendship with a woman as if he were a child. Chuckling internally, he also can't help but realize that if he ever did decide to introduce Eir to them- of course leaving out that he was Captain America until a later time- Eir would be in for one hell of a ride.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's still two chapters away before something goes down ;) Until then, enjoy the fluff!
> 
> Chapter outfits can be found [HERE](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=111522605).

A week and a half pass with Eir surprisingly opening up bit by bit to Steve as they hang out.

During their time, they only managed one outing which Steve took Eir to a small hardware store to purchase her paint, paint brushes and rollers, masking tape, and a clear plastic tarp to throw on the floor of her apartment as to not drip paint all over the place. During the trip back to their building, Eir had eyed an antique store that was only around the corner from their apartment building so after dropping everything off at her place- Steve escorted her back to the antique store. Once there, Eir browsed the small establishment with a genuine grin and when Steve caught her lingering by the cameras, he had asked her if she was going to buy it.

Eir had shrugged and walked away with a frown, telling him she didn't really know how to use it anyway and found herself eyeing a pair of floor lamps that would look great in her place. Steve had eyed the the iron poles of the lamps- vine-like iron crawling up the poles and the rustic yellow lamp shades that covered the bulbs having black floral vintage designs covering it. When she inquired about the prices and found that they were reasonable, she told the owner she'd take them and then Steve asked to throw in the camera she had been eyeing earlier, too. When Eir tried to protest, he assured her he'd show her how to use it- that it was simple- and she would thank him later when she enjoyed snapping pictures of the city.

Another day had Steve introducing Eir to soda which he found out that she greatly enjoyed after her first sip. When she was reluctant to leave her apartment, Steve found that he could easily lure her downstairs and outside to sit and talk on the steps with the beverage. Which just so happens to be where he showed her how to operate the camera, let her get  _trigger happy_ , and developed the first set of muggle pictures she ever had seen up close and personal.

In between of Eir snapping pictures from her perch on the front steps of their building and Steve sketching in one of his notebooks- Eir would give small and tweaked details of her childhood. She told him of her  _Boarding School_  in Scotland and how it was hard to make friends at first. When he asked why, she told him how the school divided the children into four houses that took after the school's original founders and that the house she landed in- well, people weren't fond of him and therefore thought that everyone in that house wasn't likable.

Steve had thought it was absurd but she quickly assured him that she eventually overcame everyone's original opinion about her and made friends fairly easy afterward.

When asked about his childhood, Steve told her that there wasn't much to tell. He was a very sick kid who was nearly allergic to everything so he was sheltered for a long while. He had a best friend who went by the name of  _Bucky_ but he had enlisted for War and was killed. Eir gave her condolences and noticed the mood turned somber so she quickly redirected him back to his allergies. When asked if he was still sick as he once was- Steve got lost in thought before he grinned and shook his head giving the explanation that he  _grew out_ of his sicknesses.

So that was how Eir and Steve slowly but surely came to call themselves friends.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

A new day dawned bright and early, Eir groaning when there was an insistent pounding on her apartment door. There was only one person she knew who even dared wake her up and wouldn't go away until she showed her face- so stomping down on her annoyance, Steve was lucky that he didn't know what Eir truly was because otherwise, she'd send a hex or two his way.

As Eir sat up and sleepily rearranged her clothes- a charcoal gray thermal long-sleeve and black plaid pajama pants- she pulled her phone from the nightstand to see if he sent his usual  _'Incoming'_ text message before he showed up outside her door. Sure enough, as the screen came to life, Steve's unanswered text message lingered there for her to see with the time stamp of 9:50A.

Tossing her phone aside and quickly fixing her hair to be somewhat presentable, Eir reached over to the side of her bedside table, pulled opened the small drawer, and slid her wand from sitting atop the table and into the drawer to hide from view. Even though Steve wouldn't dare enter her room without permission, it paid off to be careful.

Rearranging her features to showcase her best scowl, Eir pads towards her sitting area and up to the door- unlocking the two locks and yanking the door open.

"Good morning, Sunshine." Steve teases, his hands held behind his back as he wore his usual attire of khaki pants and a plaid shirt. When asked if that was the only style of clothing he wore, Steve had blushed and admitted that it was what he felt comfortable in and Eir immediately dropped it. "The air's crisp out today. Let's go."

"Bugger. Off." Eir deadpans.

"You know, I really shouldn't do this but you've left me no choice."

Eir watches as he produces a six pack of Cola from behind his back, her eyes lighting up when she sees her favorite beverage. "You don't play fair." She mumbles and reaches out for the beverages only to have Steve pull them back out of reach. "I believe that's cruel and unusual punishment- to show me the drinks I absolutely crave only to deny me any access to them." Eir then pouts.

Steve laughs as he starts to walk backwards down the hall. "You know the drill, Eir! They'll be waiting for you outside."

She watches him disappear around the corner, a smirk tugging up the corner of his lips being the last thing she sees before she closes her door and goes to get dressed for the day. As she pads back into her room, she can't deny the feeling of warmth from being called by her first name without it being said in a negative manner. If this is what it felt like to have friends who held no judgments about her, she'd gladly give up everything to live like this.

..

..

Once outside, Eir finds Steve already sitting on the steps with his back pressed to the right concrete wall that acted as a railing and a sketchbook in his lap. Eir yawns, shivering slightly from the morning's air that managed to penetrate her long-sleeved sweater shirt, and smiles in greeting. Steve eyes the black and silver camera hanging from her neck, smiling fondly at the fact that he was the one who got her into photography and holds up her pack of sodas to take.

Her eyes lit up causing Steve to shake his head in amusement and takes the offered drink from her when she offers him one. They don't speak at first, Eir cradling her precious drinks to her chest as she takes a seat opposite Steve though she sits a couple steps above him. Once settled down, she sets the drinks beside her and immediately starts to fiddle with the camera.

This is a normal day for them, Steve being able to be  _just Steve_ and Eir being a  _normal muggle._  Unbeknownst to each other, both of their secrets were starting to weigh down on them as they opened up bit by bit but both were determined to have a normal life. While it was a bit scary at how fast they managed to  _click_ with one another, it was nice just to be mellow around another individual without any expectations.

As Eir twists open her first drink with a ecstatic smile, Steve can't help but chuckle heartily as he opens up his sketchbook and finds a blank page. Ever since their first trip around Manhattan, he looks forward to being in Eir's company.

She's like a breath of fresh air- just going with the flow and saying what's on her mind though she's polite about doing so instead of being blunt and offensive. She never wore clothes that were revealing and her hair was always done up as if she didn't care what it looked like though she was always presentable. Like today, for example, her hair was half up and half down- the up part being held in a bun of sorts and an oddly sculpted stick holding it in place. He had seen the stick a couple of times before but considering what women now-a-days used as hair accessories, he never questioned her about it.

Instead of getting up and walking around the front of their building to snap pictures of the buildings from various angles, Eir sat pretty still and content as she drank her Cola, and Steve took this as his opportunity to sketch something with her in it.

Surprisingly, Eir continues to keep quiet and to herself. Steve had heard her camera click a couple of times but he had never looked up to see what she was taking pictures of. It was only when he heard Eir open her second drink did he decide to say something.

"You know these drinks are unhealthy for you, right?" He asks with his eyes still glued to his sketchbook and his hand maneuvering around the pencil. "If I had known you were going to go this fast through them, I'd have only given you one."

"Sod off, you prat!" She mouths off in retaliation.

The words aren't said in an offending manner- Steve having gotten used to Eir's personality in the time he's gotten to know her- and the moment Steve guffaws with his head thrown back, Eir props the camera atop her bended knee and waits for him to look at her. The moment Steve meets Eir's gaze with his eyes crinkled in amusement and a smile from ear to ear, Eir snaps the picture of him.

He didn't mind having his picture taken- instead he merely shakes his head in amusement as his laugh dies down and goes back to sketching. Minutes pass, both contently sitting in silence and enjoying the quiet company before Steve is nearly done with his drawing and decides to make last minute conversation.

"So I've been meaning to ask." He eases in, waiting to gain Eir's attention. "In all of our talks, we've discussed our childhoods, favorite colors, books, and television sitcoms- now that you're broadening your tastes-, and my job but we've never discussed what you did before moving here."

Eir's gaze instantly darts toward Steve but he isn't staring at her and waiting for his answer. Instead, he sits there still with his sketchbook in hand as his fingers smooth across the page at certain places. Biting her bottom lip in contemplation, Eir contemplates what she should tell him.

The silence that follows doesn't throw Steve off, at least not visibly, but now he truly wonders what she did that she is reluctant to tell him. When he chances a glance up at her, she's still chewing on her bottom lip worriedly.

And when she catches his gaze, she frowns. "I, uh, well-" She stammers and suddenly finds her Cola bottle very interesting. "-I didn't do anything." She admits truthfully. "My family is-  _was_  descended from a long line of pompous arses. When my father died and mother disappeared, everything was left to me." She shrugs nonchalantly. "I can literally live for several lifetimes and barely make a dent in my accounts."

She doesn't see that Steve has stopped working on his sketch or that he's gaping openly at her but when she does see, she has to fight off laughter. She just made him speechless.

"Wh-  _why_ do you live here then?" He gestures to their building. "You could be living the high life- living in a pent house suite that has a better view of the skyline than what we have here."

"It's not a very good life if you're lonely and not enjoying it, now is it?" She murmurs softly, meeting his gaze. "I like my apartment here. It's just the right amount of space and I've made a pretty great friend here if I must say so myself."

It took a moment for her words to sink in and when they do, Steve offers her a genuine smile. "You know, Eir, you're not like anyone I've ever met before."

His female companion snorts and when he meets her gaze once more, he finds her smirking mischievously at him. "You've no idea, Steve. No idea."

The two then lapse into comfortable chit-chat, talking about anything and everything their minds can come up with. It doesn't take long for Steve to finish what he had been working on, and since he wouldn't let Eir see until he was completely done, she heaves a sigh of relief when he announces he's finished.

"And.. done!"

Eir eagerly hops down from her perch on the wall railing and makes her way to sit a step above Steve. When she settles down, he holds out his sketchbook for her to see what he had spent their morning drawing.

"Steve.." Eir breathes in awe, her eyes darting over every little detail that he had managed to capture of himself and herself sitting across from each other in front of their building. "-this is bloody brilliant." She compliments him. Steve managed to capture himself and Eir smiling at one another, every little detail sticking out from Eir's camera hanging around her neck to the empty bottles of cola that littered the step below her. Even miniature Steve had a sketchbook in his lap and when she looks close enough, she sees that he captured the curved spirals of her wand that was holding her hair in place. "C-can I keep this?"

"Yeah, sure."

Eir's lips twitch into a grin. "I'm definitely framing this, just so you know. You are going to have to sign your name and date it in the bottom corner."

Steve huffs a laugh but did as he was told. "You know, if you get this it's only fair I get a picture of the two of us."

"Oh, um, sure." Eir nods. "We'll have to find someone to take our pic-"

"Nonsense." Steve cuts her off, setting aside his sketchbook before reaching for her camera. "Just sit a little bit closer." He tells her. "Have you ever heard of a selfie?"

"Selfie?"

"Yeah." Steve fidgets with the camera, turning it around so the lens faced the both of them. "It's where the camera holder takes a picture of himself or herself."

"Oh."

"Come on." He grins and holds the camera out at arms length, allowing Eir time to maneuver herself closer and find a comfortable position so the both of them were likely to be captured in the shot. Once she finds her position- nearly falling in Steve's personal bubble- he counts to three and snaps the picture with both of them smiling happily into the lens.

..

..

The duo spend a couple more minutes outside, Steve taking command of the camera and snapping a few pictures of his own with Eir as his model before she asks to take another with him as they laugh. As Eir attempts to dodge some of the candid pictures she catches Steve trying to snap, said man makes idle chit-chat.

He had asked if she started to paint her apartment yet which resulted in a sheepish Eir shaking her head in a negative. He had chuckled at her, asked if she needed help, and when she told him that she didn't want to be a bother to him he demanded they start right away. Luckily for Steve, he ended up using what was left on that specific roll of film and kept the camera to himself so he could take his pick of what pictures he wanted without Eir trying to hide any of them.

Simultaneously, when Eir's camera runs out of film and Steve closes his sketchbook, Eir collects her empty bottles before taking them to a small recycling bin on the side of their building. When she comes back to the front steps, Steve has the remaining of her bottles in hand along with his sketchbook and camera hanging from around his neck as he gestures they head inside to get started with painting.

They make their way into the elevator fairly easy and up to Eir's floor, and when they get inside Eir's home, she immediately tells Steve to make himself comfortable. She kicks off her shoes at the door, making Steve freeze and wonder if he should do the same. Without even having to ask, Eir seems to know what's wrong and tells him he doesn't have to kick off his shoes but since painting is going to be an all day thing, he might as well get as comfortable as he can. He nervously glances down only to see monkey's on her socks, and when she catches his amused expression she sheepishly tells him that outrageous socks amuse her.

As Steve chuckles, Eir gives a quick excuse about needing to change because she doesn't want to ruin what she's wearing and asks Steve if he wants to go change as well only to get the reply of  _I've got plenty of plaid to spare._

Eir laughs because she had noticed that Steve wore quite a lot of plaid and disappears down a small hall to which he presumes where her room lies. In the moment when he's alone, Steve takes that moment to kick off his own shoes and look around only to notice that her apartment is quite bare. She has the minimum amount of furniture, hardly anything covering the walls but he's glad that there won't be anything in the way of their work. When Eir finally comes back, she's in a pair of worn looking jean shorts, a white t-shirt with the saying of s _tart living your dreams_ , and her hair is pulled back into a ponytail with her bangs hanging freely on either side of her face.

Steve grins sheepishly as Eir gestures him further into the sitting area, shuffling forward in his black socks as he sets his sketchbook down on her coffee table as well as setting down her camera. "So what room are we doing first?"

"Um, my room?" Eir shrugs, not really caring what room they tackled first. "Possibly get my room and bathroom done first and then the kitchen and sitting area another day?"

"Yeah.. yeah." Steve nods as he looks around. "It's best to do one side of the apartment and let the fumes air out over night while you stay in the sitting area." He starts to unbutton his plaid shirt without paying much mind though his undressing catches Eir off guard and now she can't stop casting side glances at him. "After your bedroom airs out, we'll do the front two rooms so you can stay back in your room while these rooms air out."

"Uh huh." Eir gulps, her eyes now glued to the way Steve's white undershirt practically hugs every curve and dip of his sculpted body. She had never noticed just how cut and lean Steve was, his plaid shirts and sometimes leather jacket always leaving a bit of room. But this- this white shirt apparently didn't get the memo. "Yeah, let's do that." She breathes airily, coughing to clear her throat and shake her head clear when she realizes she's ogling her friend.

Luckily for her, Steve doesn't catch her staring. "Alright, so, what does your room look like? Are we going to have to move anything out or can we just drape the tarp over everything?"

"D-drape." Eir stammers and blushes, still not over all the muscles Steve had been hiding. When Steve glances over at her, she immediately gives him her back and gestures for him to follow. "All that I have in here are the lamps I purchased the other day, my bed, a bedside table, and a dresser."

Steve hums and the moment he steps foot in Eir's room, he nearly cringes. "I can see why you wanted to paint. It's like a hospital room in here." As he takes another sweep of the room, he finally grins. "And now I see why you purchased those lamps." He nods towards them. "The floral design on the lamp shades are similar to your bedding."

Eir fidgets nervously, trying to remember what a  _hospital_ was and nods along. "They look vintage and I just so happen to like vintage objects." She defends her purchases before pointing out the furniture in her room. "We can move everything towards the middle and drape the tarp over it. That will work, right?"

As Steve calculates moving everything and turns around to make sure he didn't miss anything, he finally agrees. "That will work. Go get what we need and I'll move everything to the middle of the room."

Eir does as she's told, leaving her room to fetch the can of starry night blue paint, the tape, the tarp, the paint tray, and paint rollers. It takes her two trips to bring everything in, Eir suddenly finding new respect for muggles who didn't have magic to help them with tasks such as this. Steve has gathered everything in the middle of Eir's room fairly easily, laying the lamps on her bed and turning her bedside table over to lay it atop her dresser to make more room.

All too soon, Eir's personal belongings are covered by the clear tarp, everything that isn't supposed to be painted is covered in tape, and paint is sitting in the tray awaiting to be applied to the walls. When Eir gives the go ahead, Steve dips his paint roller in first before turning to his wall and smearing the paint on in up and down strokes.

Eir watches him work for a bit, watches his muscles flex and when he moves to apply more paint to his roller, Eir clears her head and gets ready to do the same. The two of them work in silence, painting the walls being fairly easy and it isn't until majority of the room is painted and they're working on the same wall did the conversation start rolling.

"So are you expecting any friends to fly down for your first Thanksgiving in the States?"

Eir huffs, blowing her bangs away from her face for the umpteenth time. "No. I don't even think I'm going to do anything. I'll probably just watch the telly." She shrugs. "What about you? Any friends throwing a shindig?"

"Actually, yeah." Steve tells her. "My co-workers are doing a dinner."

"That's nice of them." Eir smiles, moving to apply more paint to her roller. "What does one usually do on this holiday anyway?"

"Stuff your face with food."

"Really?"

"Mhm." Steve hums with a laugh. "So you're really not going to do anything? It's your first holiday here. You must!"

"I'm not that great of a cook." Eir admits. "I'd probably burn the building down."

Steve goes quiet after that, lost in thought as he quickly finishes up his portion of the wall. When he sets his paint roller in the tray and moves to sit on the floor, he looks up at Eir still working. "Why don't I cook for you- er us?" He amends. When Eir whirls around, eyes wide, and her refusal on the tip of her tongue, Steve holds up his hand to cut her off. "I'm having dinner with my friends which leaves my day open. We can do lunch here."

"B-but.. wh-"

"It's no problem, really." He assures her. "We can go half on the groceries so you don't feel guilty and then on the morning of Thanksgiving, I'll come on up and cook here." He shrugs nonchalantly, leaning back and pressing the palms of his hands on the floor to keep him in a reclined position. "No-one should be alone on Thanksgiving and since it's your first here, you  _must_ have turkey with all the sides."

Eir is gaping at him, her mind whirling a mile a minute at Steve's generosity. She knows that by now, once the offer is out there, he won't be taking it back. While she hadn't planned on doing anything for the holiday, spending time with Steve and learning to cook what nearly every American knows how to cook by heart already seems intriguing. So after getting it some thought, Eir slowly finds herself agreeing.

"Uh, s-sure. I'd like that."

"Excellent." Steve beams as he pushes himself forward and climbs to his feet. "While you finish up in here, I'll be taping up the  _don't paint_ sections of the bathroom. Are we using the same color or do I need to get the other color?"

"Other color." She finds herself smiling back at him now. "The bathroom is going summer blue."

As Steve shuffles out of the room, he mock salutes her. "Roger that, ma'am."

* * *

**Ah, well, this was a bit of a bore. Next chapter we have a bit of the Wizarding World, Eir finding out Deatheaters are in America, and S.H.I.E.L.D picks up on magic happening in their front yard.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check my Polyvore for two different sets for this chapter. One set is the outfits for Eir and the other is what Eir's living room should look like.

Heels clicking against marbled floor with her cloak draped over her arms, Hermione makes her way out of the Ministry elevator and towards meeting room 117.

As memo paper airplanes zoom over head, Hermione's mind wanders back to her own memo that landed on her desk only minutes before. The Minister, Kingsley,  _never_ personally met with the Aurors and now that he requested her presence immediately, well she didn't know what to think.

Fellow Ministry workers smile and nod in greeting, no-one brave enough to actually stop and chat with Auror Granger when she makes an appearance on the lower floors. When the Aurors left their own floor, it usually meant business and coming in between an Auror and their work never ended peacefully.

As meeting room 117 comes into view, Hermione strides up and enters, surprised to find Harry and her boyfriend Ron already sitting in there.

"Kingsley?"

"Kingsley." Hermione nods at Harry. "Any idea what's going on?"

"No clue." Ron sighs, leaning forward and folding his arms atop the table to cushion his head. "But it's something if he wrangled up only us three."

Harry nods in agreement, pinching the bridge of his nose as Hermione draped her cloak on the back of an empty chair and took a seat. The moment Hermione had one leg crossed behind the other, Kingsley strolled in with his black and yellow robes billowing behind him. When the door clicks shut, he simply waved his hand and wards the room so this conversation would remain private.

As the room shimmered with magic, the familiar buzzing sound- that let the room's occupants know that a  _muffliato_ had been cast- fills their ears.

"Sir?" Harry sits up straighter, worry starting to creep in.

"They're back on our radar." Kingsley's voice sounds rather loud in the room. "Only this time they're out of our jurisdiction."

"W-who's back?" Ron stammers.

"Deatheaters."

Harry sighs, as does Ron but it's Hermione who paled at the Minister's words. "If they're out of our jurisdiction it means they're not in our Country anymore." She gulps, masking her unease rather professionally. "Where are they?"

"America."

And yeah, that really wasn't what Hermione wanted to hear but with Harry and Ron focused intently on Kingsley, neither of them notice her distress. "What does the American Ministry have to say then?" Ron asks.

Kingsley scowls, crossing his arms over his chest. "Nothing. And we can't show up over there without causing a war between the countries if we decide to go after the Deatheaters."

"Then what do we do? Why are you telling us if we can't do anything about it?" Harry demands, his frustration growing.

"Because, Potter, it's come to my knowledge that a deflected Deatheater has relocated to America."

"What does that ha-"

"Where?" Hermione cut off Ron. "Where are the Deatheater sightings?"

"In the southern states." Kingsley answers her with a knowing glint in his eyes.

"Eir's in New York." Hermione meekly admits. "What are the chances that these Deatheaters will roam that far north?"

"Eir?" Ron groans in understanding. "Really, Hermione, I told you Eir would be nothing but trouble."

Hermione frantically shakes her head but it's Kingsley who comes to Eir's aide. "Eir Banning is no longer the enemy, Mr. Weasley." His voice holds just enough authority to make Ron be quiet. "If you'd look past your dislike for the witch who helped imprison numerous deatheaters, you'd understand that not only is Ms. Banning innocent but she is now in danger given her current residence."

Ron went red at having been scolded and Hermione's heart pounds fiercely, her mind running a mile a minute on how she could help her friend. A yelp from Ron has her snapping out from her thoughts, the sight of Ron rubbing his shin and glaring at Harry letting Hermione know that Harry had kicked his friend. "What  _can_  we do then?" She murmurs.

"We can't do anything." Kingsley sighs, his shoulders slumping. "But  _you_ can." Hermione suddenly perks up, ignoring the looks Harry and Ron are suddenly sending her. "We can't make a fuss about this but you have rights to visit your friend. Make a visit, fill in Ms. Banning about what's going on, and attempt to get her to come back. If not, then make sure Ms. Banning's protective shields are strong enough to hold up against an attack if they make it that far north."

Hermione nods, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she chews nervously on it. With his job done, Kingsley takes his leave and leaves the three Aurors sitting in the room to mull over the plan.

"You're not going." Ron speaks as soon as the door shuts behind Kingsley.

Hermione's attention immediately snaps over to him, eyes narrowing, and Harry groans. "You're on your own, mate." He tells Ron as soon as Ron figured out he made a mistake and going red while trying to backtrack. Looking to Hermione, Harry offers her a grin. "Tell Eir I say hello."

And with that, Harry takes his leave because he wasn't about to sit around and watch his best friends go at it. Hermione watches him leave, arms crossing over her chest before she gives her full attention to her boyfriend once more. "And are you going to stop me?"

"Well, no, but-"

"No buts, Ron." Hermione cuts him off,watching as Ron reigned in his sudden anger. "You know as well as I do that they'll kill her  _after_  torturing her."

"'Mione." He shakes his head, the redness retreating from the tips of his ears. "She put herself in this situation. Why do you have to put your life on the line and go over there? If you run into any trouble, there's nothing we can do about it."

Hermione's fight drains from her, she knowing full well that Ron is only worried for her well being. Standing up, she moves a couple chairs over and sits as close to her boyfriend as she can. "She's my friend, Ron. I have to do this." Ron sighs out, thumb tapping against the top of the table before turning to look at her. "I'll only be there for a few hours. I'll warn her, ask her to come back, and if she doesn't then I'll tell her to protect her home with wards and then I'll be out of there."

Catching Hermione's gaze, Ron remains silent knowing that once Hermione put her mind to something, there was no telling her otherwise. "Just promise me you'll be careful?"

Hermione's lips twitch in amusement, glad that Ron wasn't going to fight her on it. "Aren't I always?"

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

By the time Thanksgiving rolled around, Steve and Eir had managed to paint what she wanted- the bedroom and sitting room now being starry night blue whereas the kitchen and bathroom were summer blue- as well as purchase more furniture for the bedroom and sitting room.

The bedroom had an added bedside table to the other side of Eir's bed to even things out as well as a dark cherry wood trunk placed at the foot of the bed. And the sitting area, the sitting area had the most changes.

Three wide wood shelves were attached to the wall- one above the TV and stand, and the other two on either side of the TV. With the cooler weather having settled in, Steve found out that Eir was really fond of candles seeing as each shelf and coffee table held three or more flickering flames. Steve had also found two matching rustic iron side tables with wooden tops that Eir liked, and after placing them on either side of the sofa, Eir placed the framed drawing Steve had given her of the two of them on one of the tables.

Four pictures had been added to the shelves with the candles- two of them having been magical pictures that Eir had spelled to stay frozen and Steve had finally been able to place a face to who Draco and Hermione were. The other two were of Eir and Steve, one being a copy that Steve had made for her of the two of them smiling together on the front steps outside and the other had been just of Steve when he was busy sketching. Steve had been shocked when he saw that she snuck pictures of him when he wasn't looking and even more shocked when he found himself up on the shelf.

When Eir figured her apartment was complete, she felt something was needed because her sofa stood out with it being plain white. As Steve studied it one afternoon, he left for a quick trip only to come back with a blue fleece throw blanket and draped it over the back of the sofa. Eir had laughed, clapped her hands before offering Steve a side-hug and thanked him for helping her out.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

On the morning of Thanksgiving, Eir had woken early to make sure her apartment was clean and that the kitchen was ready for Steve to use. They had made plans to start preparing the dishes at 8AM so when someone knocked on Eir's apartment door at 7:45A, Eir figured Steve was early.

Throwing the door open with a flourish, Eir's grin falters as she takes in the elegant female standing before her. "Y-you're not Steve." The mysterious female smirks in response, shaking her head minutely as if agreeing that she was  _in fact_  not this Steve person, choppy chin-length hair with blonde highlights swinging freely. Feeling self conscious at the beauty before her, Eir chews nervously on her bottom lip as she drank in the female's tall form- heeled boots crawling up to her knees, dark jeans clinging like a second skin, a silk red blouse clinging to the woman's top half, and a black coat atop the blouse with a fur hood hiding most of her profile should someone have been peering at her from the sides. Dark hooded eyes smile kindly and Eir suddenly feels a tad bit of comfort. "May I help you?"

"You may." A familiar British lilt swims in Eir's ears. "But first, may I come in?"

The accent is familiar, too familiar, and Eir finds herself nodding and stepping aside so the stranger could step in. As the stranger steps in and slips out of her coat to hang the ridiculous furry thing on a hook by the door, Eir takes yet another moment to study the new stranger. She has no idea who she is but something about the female felt familiar and her magical aura was nearly singing in delight but she had no idea why she felt giddy at this new presence.

"You've done good here." The female smiles sadly, meeting Eir's gaze before darting back out to take in the changes to the apartment. "Better than I had thought you'd do."

"E-excuse me?!" Eir takes a step back, fighting against her gut instinct about this woman now. "Who are yo-" and before Eir can get her question out, the female in question faces her once more- an apparent glamour charm slipping away. Eyes wide in shock, Eir slowly allows herself to smile. "Hermione?!"

"Hullo, Eir." Hermione grins, the choppy highlighted hair lengthening into her usual infuriating chestnut waves as the dark eye makeup vanishes. "Sorry about the glamour but it was necessary." Just as Hermione's alluring clothing melts into the usual knitted jumper, looser jeans, and trainers- Eir throws herself at Hermione and hugs her friend as tightly as she can.

"It's so good to see you! Why didn't you tell me you were coming?!"

Hermione allows herself and Eir to have a few seconds of happiness before everything came crashing down. After a moment's hesitance, Hermione pulls out of the hug. "Because, sadly, I'm here on business." And at the sight of Hermione's grin falling into a frown, Eir feels herself frowning back. "You need to come back, Eir. It isn't safe here anymore."

The words nearly suck all the air from Eir's lungs but she manages to shake her head frantically before taking a few steps back. "W-what do mean it's not safe? Is that why you needed a glamour so no-one would recognize you? What's going on, Hermione?"

"Deatheaters have been spotted in America." And those definitely weren't the words Eir expected to hear. "The American Ministry have reports of some destruction in the southern states but no deaths so far and they're refusing to call in help." Hermione tells her honestly. "Kingsley told us a few days ago and thought it necessary to bring you back where we can protect you-"

"I'm not going back." Eir immediately refuses, stepping away from her friend and further into the sitting area. As she paces back and forth by her coffee table, Hermione sighs and follows her friend. "I'm just starting to make a life for myself here, 'Mione. I even have a friend!" She nearly shouts, gesturing to the pictures on the shelves by her TV and the small table on the side of her sofa. "He might not know my true heritage but at least he's not judging me. If I go back there, back to England, I'll be shunned by majority of the population."

"I know, I know." Hermione moves forward now, bracing her hands on her friend's upper arms to make her stand still. "I didn't know you made this much progress with this muggle named Steve-" Her lips twitch into a small grin before going serious once more. "-and I actually thought it'd be easy to convince you to leave but now I see I was wrong." Her hands move from Eir's arms and up to Eir's face to wipe away the silent tears falling down her face. "But Kingsley also said to make sure that your protection wards are stable enough if you decided to stay. I'm not going to make you leave if you think you're more than capable of handling yourself."

"I-I am. I will be." She replies shakily. Hermione nods, watching as her friend pull herself together before leading the both of them to sit on the sofa.

As Eir worked on controlling her breathing, Hermione glances to the side where the sketch of Steve and Eir sat- both of them smiling freely in the sketch. "So tell me about this Steve character since you've neglected to send me any updates. And also," Hermione picks up her arm where a silver charm bracelet suddenly transforms into her trusty lavender beaded bag. "-Molly sends her love. I think she sent a few treacle tarts after she figured out I was coming today and Harry explained to her what Thanksgiving Day was."

Eir groans and chuckles simultaneously which causes Hermione to chuckle but not back down. "He's.. Steve." Eir shrugs, the corners of her lips twitching upward as Hermione rummaged through her bag, producing three treacle tarts and magically levitating them into the kitchen to spread out on the table. "We knocked into each other, he was friendly and I was.. defensive, and then I made nice and said hello a few days later." Her eyes lit up at the memory and Hermione actually feels herself smiling fondly at the very obvious changes in her friend. "He showed me around a few blocks to familiarize myself with the city, bought me lunch, and throughout the entire time.. we got to know each other."

"And when you say know each other.."

"I mean that I tweaked a bit of my past and left out everything magical."

Hermione grins, patting Eir on the knee before standing and moving towards the TV to look at the framed pictures. The picture of herself and Eir had been taken during their Fourth Year right after the Yule Ball but before everything had gone to shit. The picture with Draco and Eir- while both were smiling/smirking at the camera- Hermione could tell their happiness was forced and given the unusual paleness of Draco, it led Hermione to believe this picture had been taken before their Sixth Year. They were pictures Hermione had seen before and the others had Hermione pausing.

Eir and Steve were smiling giddily into the camera lens, the mirth in their eyes being the most genuine Hermione had ever seen in her friend for a long while. And the other picture, it was of Steve sitting on steps as he paid close attention to what he was sketching but the picture.. it looked almost.. intimate. Not in a sexual sense but intimate nonetheless.

"Eir," Hermione breathes out airily at the thought that popped into her head. "Do you- do you like Steve?"

"Of course I do." Eir scoffs. "Why would I be friends with someone I didn't-"

"No." Hermione cuts her off with a teasing smile. "Do you  _like_ like Steve?"

Eir snaps her mouth shut, brows furrowed and lips pursed as she mulled over Hermione's words.  _Did_ she like Steve? He was her first friend in the city- her only friend actually- and for the past couple of weeks they were always in contact.

He was friendly, funny, could hold a conversation, and they actually got along pretty well for only knowing each other for nearly a month.

"I- I don't kn-"

_Knock, knock!_

Eir's mouth snaps shut yet again, eyes going wide as her and Hermione's gaze dart to the door. Eir squeaks and Hermione's blank expression slides into a rather amused one. "I take it that's Steve?" Eir squeaks yet again, a blush staining her cheeks as her fingers dive into her hair to smooth down her bangs before pulling down her sloppy bun to fix. "And I take it that you do like him only you're now realizing it."

_Knock, knock!_

"O-ne second." Eir calls out, standing and glancing down at pajamas to which Hermione snorts.

"Go." Hermione stood as well now, pushing Eir towards the hallway where her bedroom lied. "Get dressed and I'll let your friend enter. What's he doing here early anyways?"

"He's making me Thanksgiving lunch." Eir hisses lowly, eyes narrowing when Hermione's smirk grows. "And not one word, Granger! Not. One. Word."

Hermione holds her hands up in surrender as Eir then sprints to her bedroom but before the bedroom door could close, Eir shouts for Hermione to kick off her shoes by the door if she was staying. Shrugging her friend's words away, Hermione pads over to the door and opens up.

The moment the door is wide open, Hermione smiles widely even as Steve's own smile falters. "Steve, right? I'm Hermione, come on in. Eir's getting presentable at the moment."

"Uh. Yes. Yes, ma'am." He clears his throat, fidgeting with the numerous plastic bags he's holding by his sides before side-stepping Hermione and into Eir's place. "It's, uh, it's nice to meet you. Eir's spoken quite frequently of you."

"Has she." Hermione smirked, shutting the door and watching on as Steve stepped out of his shoes by the door without truly thinking about his actions. The way he walked further into Eir's home let Hermione know that he frequently visited the place if he was this comfortable there. "I've heard of you, too, though apparently not enough." She chuckles.

A faint blush colors Steve's cheeks and neck as he unloads the bags of groceries and as Hermione kicks out of her own trainers- because she had a few hours to kill- she hears the bedroom door open.

Steve is too busy making even more room along the counter tops for what he's brought that he doesn't see when Eir makes her appearance in a blue off the shoulder sweater and leather leggings with her feet bare. Her hair is in sleek waves pulled together and pinned to one side which leads Hermione to think that some magic had been performed behind the bedroom door.

She merely raises an amused eyebrow at Eir which results in Eir scowling and flipping her the bird. It's Hermione's sudden loud laugh that catches Steve's attention and when he finally spots Eir, he shakes his head in slight amusement. "I believe your obsession with blue is a tad unhealthy."

"Says the man who wears plaid every day."

"Not every day!" Steve defends himself with a smile, stepping away from the counter and spreading his arms wide. Sure enough there was no plaid today. Instead, he wore a simply white collared tee with two buttons at his neck unbuttoned and a thin gray cotton jacket left unzipped.

"And the khakis?" She challenges.

"Have been traded in for normal jeans."

Hermione watches the two, eyes darting back and forth as her presence was temporarily forgotten, and notices how the both of them brightened up when seeing one another. Clearing her throat, she manages to fight her off her smirk when their attention snaps to her. "I, too, thought she was unusually taken with the color blue."

"Oh, yes." Eir glares playfully. "Says the girl who's always wearing red." Her eyes then dart down to the red and gold knitted sweater and Hermione's red socked feet.

Hermione huffs, crosses her arms over her chest and as the girls stare each other down- they break down into a fit of laughter. The two girls calm down almost as fast as they had gotten started and Eir turns her attention to Steve.

"I'm not sure if my friend introduced herself but I'm sure you recognized Hermione from her picture." Steve smiles and nods at Hermione. "She, uh, she showed up late last night and we  _baked_." She shrugs sheepishly while pointedly glaring at Hermione to play along and pointed out the tarts on the table. "I'm not sure when she's leaving though so is it okay she stays for lunch?"

"Of course!" Steve assures her. "The more the merrier." He smiles at both females while tossing aside the plastic bags. "Will this be your first American holiday as well?" He asks Hermione.

When Hermione realized he was talking to her, she nods. "Mhm. Do you need help with anything? I might not be familiar with these dishes but I follow direction better than Eir."

Eir mockingly gasps, pretending to be wounded as Steve fought off a laugh. "If you're sure." He tells her. "There's no need to help if you're not certain. I really don't mind making the lunch especially since you two made dessert."

"Nonsense." Hermione waves him off. "Besides, I can take what I learn here back home and impress my boyfriend with a fancy dinner."

"Alright then." Steve claps and rubs his hands together, looking out at all that was scattered in front of him. "Let's get started."

..

..

After quickly assigning Hermione on chopping duty and Eir on washing and peeling potato duty, Steve prepped their rather large turkey. Said turkey was prepared fairly fast, Eir and Hermione watching on in horrified awe as Steve pulled out the gizzards and stuffed the turkey with the dressing they were meant to eat as well.

Letting the peeled and chopped in half potatoes sit aside, the two girls watched as Steve prepared a green bean casserole and put that aside as well until later when the turkey was closer to being done.

In between of cleaning up what they had dirtied, Hermione took notes on the way Steve prepped their food for future reference, and fed Steve small tidbits of her childhood with Eir at school.

In return, as they moved into the sitting area, Steve told Hermione about himself as well though Eir knew everything he was now telling her friend. They talked and laughed, Eir smiling proudly when Hermione and Steve fell into easy conversation with one another. During the halfway mark of the turkey cooking, Steve checked on it only to wait for another hour before starting to boil the potatoes and tossing the green bean casserole into the oven.

Steve let Eir mash the potatoes, laughing at her enthusiasm as he dropped in the butter and milk to make them extra creamy. He tossed extra crunchy onions atop the casserole in the oven before showing Hermione how to make the yams with marshmallows on top, and even tossed in a cookie sheet of rolls.

When the food was finally done and the apartment smelled of all the delicious food, Hermione and Eir were quite eager to eat. Steve was greatly amused by their sudden whining about hurrying up and carving the turkey that he happily did so once everything was taken out of the oven and set aside. Since Eir's table was only a two-seater, the three of them ate on the coffee table in the sitting area. Eir had felt a bit guilty for not having enough room but after Steve happily sat cross-legged on the floor and Hermione followed suit, she didn't feel all that bad.

The first several moans of satisfaction had Steve smugly smiling as he ate his own. Surprisingly, all three went for seconds of turkey and dressing, and it was then that Steve produced Colas from the fridge that he had snuck into the apartment before Eir had appeared from her room when he first got there.

Eir and Steve found out Hermione's  _plane_ was leaving at 6P so they made the most of their time together as they ate and watched the telly. After letting their stomach settle for half an hour, Eir eagerly skipped to the table in her kitchen for the treacle tart. Molly's tarts were famous within their group of friends and Eir couldn't wait to see what Steve thought about it.

At Steve's own moan of appreciation, Hermione and Eir smugly smiled. It seemed not even muggles were immune to the deliciousness of Molly's food.

"This is really good." Steve had mumbled around his mouthful of food. "I've never had this before."

"Yes, well, Hermione's boyfriend's Mum always has the best recipes." Eir smiled, eyes twinkling with the secret that only she and Hermione knew- that it was indeed Molly who made the tarts Steve was ravenously stuffing into his mouth.

The remaining afternoon hours slowly ticked by and as they attempted to settle in their food comas, Eir didn't want to waste what time she had left with her friend and produced her camera from her bedroom. Hermione had been impressed that Eir knew how to work the muggle camera rather professionally and let herself be photographed by her friend- even going as far as plopping down next to Steve on the sofa and making him laugh with her.

The trio took turns of snapping photos of each other and by the time 4:30P came around, Hermione made the excuse of beating traffic if she wanted to get to the  _air port_ on time for her departure back home. Eir knew Hermione had traveled by port key but to keep up appearances in front of Steve, she wished her friend good luck while making her a plate to  _eat on the road._

Steve, too, then made the excuse that he needed to get home and get dressed for the dinner he was expected to attend at work as well as grumbling about trying to find something easy to bake for his friends. Eir poked fun at him while Steve continued to grumble and eventually wrapped up one of the extra tarts for him to take. He immediately refused but after Hermione jumped in and assured him that Eir didn't need that much sweets leftover, he graciously accepted the tart for his friends.

Steve and Hermione were slipping back into their shoes as Eir covered up what leftovers she had when Hermione figured she had last minute advice for her newly acquired friend.

"Steve, may I talk to you for a second." She murmurs softly, low enough so that Eir didn't hear. "Outside." She then adds with a sheepish grin.

Steve nods smiling and bid Eir goodbye for the day as Hermione called out that she was going to have a quick word with their friend outside the door. Eir opened her mouth to keep Hermione from saying anything embarrassing but the witch had already pulled Steve outside the door away from her eyes and ears.

Smirking rather wolfishly, Steve found that Hermione on her own was rather intimidating. "Er- what's going on?"

"Nothing, really." Hermione shrugs, hands tucking themselves into the pockets of her jeans. "I just wanted to tell you one on one that it was rather nice meeting you and to thank you for lunch."

At her words, Steve became less tense. "It's no problem, really. It was great to finally meet one of Eir's friends from back home."

"I'm glad you thought that." Hermione smiles at him, eyes turning steely as her smile slowly fell. "And I also wanted to tell you that should you hurt my friend," She took a rather menacingly step towards him. "-they'll never find your body."

Steve gulps, his eyes widening and Hermione smiled once more. "It's, uh, it's n-not like that between us." He stammers.

"Oh, Steve." Hermione coos, reaching a hand up to pat his cheek affectionately. "It never seems that way to begin with."

With a wink to Steve, Hermione side-stepped him and back into Eir's apartment leaving a gaping Steve in the hallway. And the second Hermione and Eir were alone in the room, Hermione found herself on the wrong side of her friend's glare.

"What did you tell him?"

"Nothing." Hermione smiles coyly, slipping her wand out from her sleeve and waving it over her body. The full body glamour charm was back in place, Hermione's unruly waves now back to being choppy chin-length waves and the dark smokey eye makeup making Hermione look almost sultry. "I merely told him that should he hurt you, I'd kill him."

"Oh, Herms." Eir groans, nearly face palming herself. "You didn't?!"

"I did." Hermione laughed. "He's good for you, Eir, so if any opportunities present themselves I suggest you take them."

"What  _opportunities_?"

"Oh, Eir." Hermione tuts playfully. "You really are oblivious."

"I am no-"

"Sure you're not." Hermione shook her head. "Anyway, I must go now. I should be looking for souvenirs for the Weasley's and Harry and you should start prepping for wards."

"Yeah, yeah." Moving forward and forgetting her friend's actions towards Steve for the moment, Eir gave her a farewell hug. "Write me when you get home so I know you made it."

"Will do." Hermione agrees. "Tell me how the warding goes, yeah? If I were you, I'd ward more than just this building."

"I'm not moronic, 'Mione. I know what to do."

With one final comfort hug and cheeky grin, Hermione pulls away from her friend with her beaded bag of leftovers and left to tour the city.

..

..

Later that night, over at Avengers Tower, the team sat around a lengthy table that Pepper managed to acquire and have set up nicely for Thanksgiving. The team wasn't used to having holidays free so when given the chance, sitting down as a close knit family was what they did.

Everyone- sans Pepper and Natasha who were too ladylike to slouch- slouched in their seats after finishing their dessert for the night. Tony and Clint were on the verge of unbuttoning their pants so they could be able to breathe, Bruce looked like he was ready to doze off at the table, and Steve was happily eating the crumbles of tart that was left on his plate. Thor had only stayed for a few minutes before wishing everyone a happy day and left to spend the night with Lady Jane and Lady Darcy back in New Mexico.

"So you're telling me," Tony mutters, nearly panting at how full he truly was. "-that you've met a friend of hers while we've yet to meet your lady love?"

"She's not my lady love."

"Sure she's not." Clint snickers only to groan at unsettling his stomach. "Tell us again who made us dessert?"

Steve scowls while Pepper hides her amused smile as does Natasha though she masked her fairly quickly. "She's just a friend is all."

"That's what you're telling yourself now." Tony clicks his tongue at him. "But before you know it, some other fella is gonna snatch her up and you're gonna mope around here while Barton and I rub it in your face."

"Tony!" Pepper hisses at him, reaching over and pinching his arm. "Be nice."

"I am." He defends himself with a frown and rubbing at his now hurting arm. "I'm just trying to get Steve-O to buck up. She made us dessert for Christ's sake! Good dessert too!" He yelps in his excitement before turning to his teammate. "I'm telling you, Capsicle, she's a keeper."

Clint- and much to Steve annoyance- Bruce nod along with Tony's words while Pepper avoided eye contact with him.

"Stark does have a point." Natasha suddenly chimes in causing Tony to gape at her only to then cackle in glee.

Natasha rolls her eyes at him as Steve suddenly finds his plate very interesting but luckily- well unluckily if their stomach's had any so say- each of the Avenger's phone went off with the chime alerting them that they were needed.

"Duty calls." Pepper chirps. "You guys go and I'll clean up." She immediately stood and started to shoo the team away from the table.

As everyone checked their messages, they realize it was only an urgent meeting and they didn't need to suit up.

The Quintjet soon landed on the Tower's roof and with the help from Natasha, Steve dragged his friends up to the roof so they could get this meeting over with and fall into a deep sleep.

Once at Headquarters on the Helicarrier, the team is rushed into a meeting room where Fury is waiting for them. Whether it was the sudden tension filled room or the fact that they were minutes from falling into a food coma, Stark actually sat down without a word of snark and waited for Fury to get this over with but they were waiting on one more member. It took a few minutes but after a while, Thor showed up in Asgardian gear.

"Thor." Fury greets with an eye roll. "I take it you didn't get the memo that you didn't need to suit up?" Thor had opened his mouth to answer but Fury cut him off with a wave of his hand. "The reason for the urgency is because those magical signatures just got a whole lot closer than I'd like."

"How close are we talking?" Bruce sighs while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Did they decide to start moving northward?"

"Yes and no." Fury answers him while gesturing to the table top they're sitting at. Instead of it being a normal table, it was one of the agency's more advanced table tops that could produce holograms. Tapping around at the screen, Fury pulled up a hologram map of the United States. "As you can see, the magical signatures are glowing yellow. They started off in California and worked their way to Texas and are now in North Carolina. They seem to be moving at a steady pace and it was likely they'd make it here sooner or later."

"Okay." Tony drawls. "If you were expecting them to get here sooner or later then why is it so urgent now?"

"Because at nineteen hundred hours, Stark, a source of energy flared brightly right in your back yard." Fury pokes at the screen again and a rather bright energy source flared in New York."

"I do not understand." Thor frowned as he studied the map. "Do we know who or what is causing these spikes of energy in your realm?"

"No." Fury shook his head. "Whatever they are, they're always out of reach. Are you positive Loki has nothing to do with this? I mean, the spike in energy was just blocks away from Avengers Tower."

Steve tenses at his words, wondering just how many blocks away now that he had a friend whose safety he worried about living very near _._ "Loki is locked up." Thor assures him with a sigh. "I've seen his prison with my own eyes but if I must, I'll go and make sure my brother has stopped with his trickery."

"Do that." Fury eagerly agrees. Standing up, he fixes his coat before striding towards the door. "As usual, keep your eyes and ears open, lady and gentlemen. This cat and mouse game is getting old very fast. It's only a matter of time before a fight breaks out."

* * *

**Dun. Dun. Dun. In case you didn't piece the pieces together- the energy just so happened to flare as Eir was supposed to be warding ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eir's outfit is up on Polyvore. If you need the link, just ask.

Over the next three days, if Steve and Eir were unusually on guard, they didn't notice.

The night of Thanksgiving, Thor had left for yet another trip to Asgard but had yet to return. Of course, time ticked by differently so they couldn't blame Thor for taking a day or so with his family and friends before returning.

Eir had also taken Hermione's words to heart, waiting until she had the dark of the night on her side to slip into the shadows and cast a protection ward around the entire block that her apartment building resided on. At first, she wasn't sure if the ward would hold up but the bright blue shimmer of the ward after she finished casting let her know that it was pretty strong and could take a few blows if need be. The specific ward she had put up wouldn't let anyone who wished her harm set foot on the block and the moment someone started to tamper with her ward, her magic would let her know.

With December came colder temperatures and a thin layer of snow.

Eir was happy to find out that Molly's treacle tart had been a huge hit at Steve's work party and rather amused when Steve told her his friends started annoying him the following day to beg Eir to make more for them. Eir promised she would make some more soon and even went out to buy what was necessary for show but in reality, she was just waiting to send a patronus to the Weasley Matriarch and ask for some more _._ Steve had told her not to rush, that his friends could wait, and then went on to invite Eir for breakfast. Eir had refused at first, saying she wasn't a morning person but then settled to attend brunch with him.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

As Eir dressed for the chillier than normal morning, she dressed casually in a pair of black skinny jeans, a dark blue long tank top cami with lace trimming, a black wool pea coat jacket, and left her hair in slight waves framing her freckled face. After casting a quick warming charm over her body and placing a well thought of non-slip charm on the bottom of her stiletto platform boots, Eir tucked her wand into her right boot in case she needed it.

After locking up her apartment, Eir set off to go and meet Steve three blocks west at a small cafe that served great food called  _Sal's._

The cold air nipped at Eir's exposed skin but since she had the warming charm, it didn't quite affect her like it did the muggles around her. It wasn't as cold as Eir was used to but given the fact that every time she breathed out and caused a puff of smoke of her breath, she knew it was pretty cold.

She soon finds Steve sitting by the window inside Sal's and the moment he spots her, he eagerly waves her in. Eir greets him with a smile, unbuttoning her jacket as she moves to sit. "Been here long?"

"The waitress has only been by three times." Steve shrugs. "She probably thinks I've been stood up."

"Ah." Eir laughs and picks up her menu. "Fear not for your lady has arrived!"

She's too occupied with trying to find something to eat from the menu that she doesn't see the way Steve blushes at her words. He then quickly occupies himself with his own menu to find something worth eating, only to have his blush come back full force when the elderly waitress stops by for their order and coos, " _Ah, young love._ "

Eir blushes as well though she was nowhere near the level of red as Steve, and chuckles kindheartedly. "We're just friends, ma'am."

"Goodness gracious." She replies. "I am terribly sorry."

"I-it's fine." Steve coughs, reigning in his embarrassment. "May I have a mug of coffee and the number three breakfast plate?"

"Sure thing, darling." The woman drawls, scribbling down Steve's order before turning to Eir.

"And I'll have the same but instead of coffee may I have orange juice?"

"Mhm. I'll get right on that." The waitress smiles, ripping off their order receipt and making her way towards the kitchen.

As the duo falls into an awkward silence, Eir fiddles with the sugar basket in the middle of the table as Steve picks apart a napkin.

"So." He drawls, keeping his eyes downcast. "Did Hermione make it home okay?"

"She sure did." Eir breathes a sigh of relief, her eyes darting all around Steve's down turned face. "I mailed off the Thanksgiving pictures this morning to her." She grins. "And I have your copies at home so stop by whenever."

"I will. Thanks." Steve finally looks up, meeting his friend's gaze with a genuine smile just in time for their waitress to return with their drinks. As Eir sips her juice and Steve fixes his coffee to his liking, he figures he'd get Tony's invitation out of the way. "I know it's a bit early but do you have any plans for Christmas?"

"Not really." Eir murmurs. "My friends are spending time with their families and I really don't fancy going back there." She shrugs and watches Steve practically gulp down his drink. "I'll probably go shopping soon and mail their presents. Why do you ask?"

"Well," Steve cups the mug of coffee in his hands, tapping his fingers along the sides. "-my coworkers and I are sort of close, in case you haven't noticed."

"I kind of figured." She smirks at him.

"Yes, well, they told me to extend the invite to you." Steve admits before meeting Eir's gaze. "It's going to be a small get together where they'll exchange gifts and have a dinner so do you maybe want to go with me?"

Before Eir could answer, the waitress appears with their food and leaves them to eat in peace but not before refilling Steve's mug with coffee. After giving their thanks, Eir and Steve dig into their eggs and sausage links, leaving the hash brown and pancakes for the end.

After a good mouthful of food, Eir gives her attention to Steve. "Can I think about it and get back to you?" She asks him, getting back on topic. "I mean, it sounds like a good idea- meeting your friends but I wouldn't know what kind of gifts to get them."

"Of course." Steve blurts and wipes his mouth clean. "And don't worry about gifts. Seriously. They just want to meet you." He assures her before turning sheepish as a grin makes it's way onto his face. "And they may want more of your treacle tart if you show up."

Eir barks a laugh as she shovels more food into her mouth with a nod. "Of course."

..

..

It's halfway through their meal that Steve's phone continuously chirps, annoying said owner until he reaches into his pocket to see what's going on. Frowning at the screen, he looks up only to see Eir grin at him.

"Take it. It must be important."

Steve nods and with a relieved smile, he answers it. "Rogers." Eir hides her amused expression at the way Steve easily fell into professional mode but said amusement falters when she sees his lips thin and eyes go hard. "Yeah, I'll be right there." Eyes snap to her and with a sheepish grin, Eir nods in understanding.

The moment Steve ends the phone call, the most apologetic look crosses his features. "It's fine, really it is." Eir quickly assures him.

"I'm sorry." He still blurts. "Work emergency."

"Understandable."

Steve's gaze flickers back and forth from their table, to Eir, to their waitress who doesn't know if Steve's trying to gain her attention or not. As Steve waves her over, Eir's eyes widen. "I'll make it up to you, I swear."

"N-no. It's okay." Eir tries to assure him when their waitress appears and Steve immediately asks for the bill. "Don't worry about it." She snatches the paper from the waitress before Steve could get to it which causes him to huff. "I'll worry about the bill, you go. The call seemed important."

And she only realizes just how important the call really was when he doesn't bother fighting her on it. "I'll call you when I'm done." He tells her before quickly standing and pulling on his jacket that was hanging on the back of his chair. "See you soon?"

"See you soon." Eir smiles up at him. "Have fun."

Steve snorts, shaking his head and squeezing Eir's shoulder before he brushes past their waitress and out the door into the frigid air. When the waitress eyes Eir warily, Eir merely waves her off saying she'll take care of the bill after she's done with her own food. When the waitress realizes that this isn't a dine and dash, she happily clears away Steve's side of the table when Eir tells her he won't be returning and lets Eir finishes her food in peace.

Eir eats her fill, stopping herself before she actually stuffs herself to the point of stomach pains, and pays for her and Steve's meals. Tipping the waitress a little more than what Eir usually would, she smiles fondly at the elderly woman before buttoning herself back up in her coat and sets foot outside. But luckily for Eir, her warming charm is still activated and keeping her from freezing.

As Eir makes her way back home, she ends up getting sidetracked when she realizes that city officials are putting up Christmas lights. Wondering what Central Park looked like at the moment with the snow covering the ground, she decides to make her way towards the park for a quick peek.

But almost as if the Fates are against her, Eir only gets two blocks away when the man in a maroon and gold iron suit zooms overhead. She falters in her steps, looking around to see if anyone else spotted him but when people merely look up and continue on with their day, she figures they've grown use to seeing Iron Man flying about the city.

She doesn't pay attention to where he flew off to but in the next moment, she finds herself freezing mid-step as a ferocious roar pierces the air. People wandering about freeze mid-step as well, glancing around nervously to see where the threat is but nothing seems to be off. After shaking off the instant bought of unease, Eir continues to head in the direction she's already heading and makes sure to keep her eyes peeled for anything unusual.

The moment she turns the corner, all hell seemed to have broken loose. People look on with terrified expressions, some choosing to stay where they are while others are smart and start to flee. Black clouds of smoke are billowing up in the sky, the ferocious roar heard earlier is now more of an angry constant growl, and Iron Man is zooming around overhead shooting blasts of energy from the palms of his hands. Eir doesn't know what the hell is going on but her curiosity is getting the best of her.

The closer she creeps, the easier it is to distinguish the screams of terrified civilians who are either trapped or running around without a clue as to where to go. A couple of blocks later and Eir is faced with the destruction of all too familiar enemies.

Deatheaters.

Eir's stomach seems to drop at the sight of them- her eyes darting from one person to another as her breathing changes dramatically into unfulfilled intakes of air. There's a rather large number of them, all wearing their usual black cloaks and black masks as they fire spell after spell at unarmed muggles and the Avengers trying to protect their city. The source of the constant angry growl seems to be the green rage monster that is bound by enormous ropes and chains, and it seems his jaw is spelled shut as well.

Realizing that the Avengers are way in over their head, Eir wonders what she can do to lend a helping hand. As her mind reels about whether or not outing herself is a good idea, she has to crouch behind a few metal contraptions that appear to be holding newspapers inside when a Deatheater looks her way. She doesn't think she's been spotted and her stomach drops yet again as she watches the Iron Man get hit by an eerie blue curse. She flinches as he gets blasted out of the air, the man falling onto a car un-moving and for a moment, she fears the worse.

That is until she spots Iron Man sitting up and working his way off the car only to freeze as the light on his chest flickers on and off.

A Deatheater takes it's chance by sneaking up behind Iron Man now and Eir tries to call out for him but her voice gets stuck in her throat. Heart pounding and tears prickling the corner of her eyes, she breathes a sigh of relief as an arrow suddenly penetrates the chest of the advancing witch or wizard. A few more arrows fly by, taking out a couple more deatheaters who were starting to circle a red-headed woman firing two hand guns and crouching behind a demolished vehicle. When the deatheaters realize that the archer is a serious threat, they blast the ledge that he's standing on. Luckily for said archer, he jumps and rolls away just in time.

Eir's too busy watching the destruction right before her eyes that she doesn't spot the red curse flying a little too close for comfort. She does, however, feel it after it's hit the large glass window behind her and knocks her into the metal contraption she had been hiding behind. Disorientated, Eir crawls away only to cut up the knees of her jeans and the palms of her hands on the glass shards, and crawls directly into the line of sight of several deatheaters.

She can feel blood dripping down the sides of her face so she knows she knocked her noggin pretty good and her hands and knees are on fire. She has half a mind to pull out her wand right then and there but to do that would mean to expose herself to the deatheaters and if they take a second look at her, it'd be all over when they realize who she is.

When Eir thinks she's finally in the clear, she stands up on shaky legs after making sure her wand was still tucked in her boot. Seeing it there, she stands fully with her hair obscuring most of her vision but it's still enough to see a deatheater staring straight at her and raising his or her wand. A red light flees from the tip of their wand and Eir freezes- her joints locking together in terror at being in the middle of a war all over again. However, before the spell can reach her, she sees Captain America from her peripheral vision landing at her side and is suddenly being pulled down by him- he crouching over her body and bringing up his shield for protection.

There's a gong-like noise suddenly filling her ears and it takes a moment for her to realize that the shield blocked the spell. It actually  _repelled_  their magic! Pushing herself up, she puts enough space between her and Captain America before brushing her hair aside and out of her face. For a second, she thinks she sees a flash of shock and recognition flashing in Captain America's eyes but it's gone way too quickly.

..

..

Natasha Romanoff is crouching behind a car that's currently on fire with every window blown to shit and watching on in horrified awe at Bruce Banner- the Hulk- struggling to free himself from his confines. Had this been an experiment of Stark's, the Black Widow would have been impressed with the genius for coming up with something strong enough to contain the Hulk's strength other than a room that they had to drug the beast and toss into when he got too unruly. Instead, these new chains and ropes came from their enemies who they had no idea how to defeat.

The cloaked and masked figures had appeared from thin air- instantly setting off every magical signature alarm that S.H.I.E.L.D had in place over the city. There were a little over twenty of them- each one of them cloaked and masked- and marching directly down the middle of the street in a military manner that set everyone on edge. For a good while, they did nothing but march, but the moment Tony flew over them in his suit- various colored lights started to fly from the tip of sticks that they produced from under their cloaks.

"Stark, you there?" Natasha speaks calmly, tapping the comm at her ear to see who's still up and about.

" _Positive, Red._ " Tony's voice fills her ear. " _Though I'm out of the fight._ " He then grumbles. " _Whatever they're firing, it's messing with my reactor. Damn thing nearly fried._ "

Natasha groans before calling for her fellow assassin. "Hawkeye? What's the visual from up top?"

" _No idea, Nat._ " Clint sounds tired and pained. " _They found my perch and I had to tuck and roll. Shoulder's dislocated._ "

"Fuck." Natasha mutters, the usual stoic female losing her patience. "Captain?"

" _Busy._ " Steve's voice instantly replies. " _Civilian crawled into the thick of it._ "

The comm goes silent and it's then that Natasha, Tony, and Clint notice the sudden lull of explosions and cackling of laughter from the new crazies attacking their city. Each Avenger peer from the safety of their hideouts only to see the cloaked figures closing in on Steve and the civilian he has. Red, blue, and purple lights suddenly fly and Steve reacts instantly by placing the shield in front of the civilian and crouching down with her. Right away, his team members realize the opening that Steve left on his back and sides but before they can do anything about it- red lights are connecting with their teammate's body.

The female civilian is screaming but Steve hangs on- taking no less than five red shots of light to his body. Each light hit has him visibly flinching and groaning until he stands during a brief lull of activity, and it's then when the protection of the shield is out of the way does a purple light hit him in the chest that he finally goes down.

Natasha swears, pulling up her handguns and ready to fight while telling Clint to hurry the hell up and get his ass back into action when she pauses mid-rant. The civilian Steve had been protecting now has a fancy stick of her own but instead of firing off different colored lights like the cloaked figures were- the civilian is slashing her stick through the air every time a light comes her and Steve's way. A nifty blue shield shimmers to life as the red and purple lights collide with it.

" _Nat?_ " Clint's voice crackles in. " _Is that civilian one of them?_ "

" _One of who?_ " Stark immediately chimes in. " _Oh. Not as innocent a civilian as Cap had thought, huh?_ "

The female figure crouches now, closer to Steve's body as she tries to maneuver the red, white, and blue shield to cover Captain America's face. "She's protecting him." Natasha realizes. The moment the cloaked figures appear to overwhelm the woman, Natasha rethinks their approach. "Kill the cloaks. Save the woman for last. If she puts up a fight, knock her out and take her in for containment."

Clint and Tony give their agreement of the new plan, Tony taking a bit longer to get back into the game so that the cloaked figures don't catch him off guard again.

The three conscious Avengers manage to take out half of the cloaked magic users before one of them sneaks up behind Steve's savior- catching her in the back with one single red blast of light. The moment she slouches over Steve's unconscious form- the remaining cloaked figures start to disappear in clouds of black smoke though one of them lingers with their head tilted curiously to the side as they stare down at the female civilian before finally disappearing.

When there is no more threat, Tony stumbles over to the Hulk to see if he could get the beast to calm down enough so Banner could come back and possibly slip out of his bindings while Natasha and Clint limp over to Steve and the unconscious magic using woman.

"Well, at least she didn't put up a fight." Clint muses, rubbing at his injured shoulder he had to pop back into place himself.

Natasha snorts, the corner of her lips tilting up in a brief smirk. "Let's get her to containment. Fury's going to have a ball with this one."

* * *

**So yeah, that happened.**


	8. Chapter 8

_Eir finds herself standing in the middle of the destroyed courtyard of Hogwarts yet again. She knew this nightmare- well, memory actually- like the back of her hand but this time it was different._

_There are_ two _of her, seventeen year old Eir who stood by her parent's side with Voldemort's other loyal followers for most of her life and the current version of her standing by her younger version's side. It was like being dropped into a memory but as she wracked her brain for the answer as to how she got here, she knew for a fact that she had not been messing with a pensieve._

_As Eir stumbles a few steps to the side, she realizes that this was eerily familiar to being in the pensieve since no-one seems to see her. She looks back at her younger self, reaching forward to push her hood down but her fingers merely pass through._

" _Harry Potter.. is dead!"_

" _No. No!" Ginny's scream of grief made both Eir's cringe- the younger one in shame and the older in fear. What is going on?_

_The dream/memory seems to speed up, Eir watching as Neville Longbottom gives his inspiring speech that would give Harry his opening to reveal his liveliness and lead the Light side to their victory. The dream/memory then seems to slow down, Eir watching herself as she drops her cloak and makes up her mind on which side she truly wants to fight for. Seeing her younger self look gaunt- her cheek bones protruding unhealthily and dark circles encasing her eyes- she realizes then just how much Voldemort had an impact on her life._

_Her clothing then had hung off her skeletal frame whereas now, she fills out her clothes with curves that Hermione and Mrs. Weasley made sure were there before they stopped keeping a close eye on her._

_She watches as her younger self argues with Hermione that_  it wasn't what it looked like _, and pleads with her friend to give her a chance to explain her part in the war later. The dream/memory sped up once more, Eir soon finding herself watching the epic duel between Molly and Bellatrix. She's watching her younger self encourage Molly Weasley when she suddenly remembers that what happens next would be the sole reason she had frequent nightmares about this particular moment of her life._

_Eir whirls around only to find her father creeping up behind her younger self, his once handsome and aristocratic features twisted in rage at finding her fighting against what he raised her to believe in was right. He raises his wand, not once second guessing his decision, and Eir finds herself seething in anger at her father. Fist clenched at her sides, Eir screams out and charges at him only to fall straight through him. She lands on hands on knees, panting harshly and turns over so she's sitting down on her bum to watch as her father nearly destroys her._

_The cruciatus curse leaves her father's lips- and again proving that she was not in a pensieve- both Eir's feel the excruciating pain of the Unforgivable. As younger Eir collapses to the ground, present Eir screams out in agony as she falls to her side before scrambling to lay on her back and arches up in pain._

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

After a long session of being debriefed by both Agent Maria Hill and Director Fury himself, Natasha finds herself following Fury to where they are currently holding the only person who could possibly give them answers. Clint soon appears behind them- the stealthy assassin falling in step behind his partner and boss after having been cleared by the Doctors on board the Helicarrier.

Bruce is currently held in the medical wing, Doctors and Scientists alike working furiously to free Dr. Banner from his confines but can't figure out why nothing is working. Steve Rogers lay in a private room, more Doctors stumped as to why they can't close the man's wounds or wake him from his unconscious state. And Stark sits in the private labs trying in vain to fix his suit and figure out what the hell kind of power these enemies had since it was enough to toy with his reactor.

Figuring out that these new being's source of power came from the sticks they wielded, Fury made sure to have Agent Romanoff confiscate the woman's weapon.

"Any new updates?" Clint asks, coming to flank Fury's left side as Natasha falls back on Fury's right side.

"Depends on what you consider new." Natasha answers. "Bruce is still tied up, Steve isn't waking up and any machines being used to scan him are malfunctioning, and the machines used on the woman Steve was protecting have completely fried up."

Clint groans, shaking his head in annoyance. "What the hell has decided to make Earth it's new home now?"

"No idea, Agent Barton, but we're about to figure this out." Fury interrupts the assassins, stopping briefly outside a set of glass doors before punching in his own access codes to grant them entry. As Natasha and Clint follow him in, they realize the room is completely blacked out except for a circular room- a room that looks familiar to the containment room that once imprisoned Loki- that is lit up brightly inside. The woman they had taken aboard the Helicarrier lay in bed, her dark hair sticking out against the sheer white of the bedding. Her face is littered with small cuts and bruises, her hands bandaged in white gauze that lay atop her stomach. "Even if we have to wait her out, we'll get our answers." Fury then sighs as he realizes the woman is still unconscious.

Medical equipment sits around the bed- monitors that should be monitoring brain waves and heart rhythm showcasing blacked out screens. A breathing ventilator sits there without any power, as did several other machines that the assassin duo figured were fried because of what this woman was, and two small tables on wheels sit on either side of the bed with metal plates holding various instruments.

The minutes tick by slowly, Natasha and Clint still standing rather stoically behind Fury when the lights start to flicker.

The woman suddenly wails in agony, limbs tensing as her back arches clean off the bed for several long seconds. Natasha and Clint tense, watching as the machinery and the tables along with their instruments start to shake and rattle before slowly levitating within the room.

"I thought their source of power came from the stick!" Clint harshly mutters, keeping his eyes glued to what was happening inside the room.

Natasha gulps, pulling the woman's stick from her back pocket to peer down at it. "So did we."

Fury watches on without saying a word or even moving to call in for help as the woman then falls onto her back, whimpering in pain and curling into the fetal position. Her eyes are clamped shut, her entire form shaking as the objects continue to levitate inside the room. Without warning, she wails in agony again- veins protruding from the woman's neck as she screams her throat raw and thrashes uncontrollably until she falls to the floor in a heap.

The moment the woman hits the floor, she jerks awake, and every piece of equipment falls with a clatter which only further scares the woman as she tries to identify her surroundings.

..

..

Eir wakes up, feeling as if she had been trampled by a herd of Centaurs. Every square inch of her body hurts and her muscles feel as if they are on fire- the remnants of the cruciatus curse somehow managing to affect her outside of her dream/memory.

A thin layer of sweat covers her trembling body, her hair hanging in tangled waves around her face as her eyes frantically dart all around the room. Pristine white tiles line the floor beneath her, sharp and dangerous looking instruments scattered about the floor as well as broken machinery that she has no idea of their uses. Pushing herself up to sit a little bit taller, her mind catalogs that she's in a glass circular room and it's impossible to see within the darkness outside the walls.

Realizing that no-one appears to be there with her, Eir grips the bedding of the bed she assumes she just rolled out of and pulls herself up to stand on shaky legs. Though the moment she's standing, she feels a draft of air in places she shouldn't be feeling said air and looks down only to realize she's now sporting some sort of gown that's crinkly and stiff.

Fear suddenly clutches at Eir, the blood in her veins turning to ice as she frantically pushes off from the bed and stumbles about her eerie room. "No, no, no." She mutters incoherently, praying to Merlin that she wasn't someone's science experiment like in the horror stories wizarding families told their young to keep them from visiting the muggle world. Her hands are wrapped in some type of white cloth-like paper and little bandages are covering the stinging cuts on her knees. "Where in Merlin's name am I?"

Eir isn't expecting an answer so the moment her bandaged hands press against the glass and a voice answers, " _You're at S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters currently being held in containment for the safety of every man and woman on board._ ", she startles at the voice that seems to be coming from a speaker up above and jumps backward.

"F-fair enough." Eir answers back without arguing, willing her heart to slow as she reaches behind her to pull the gown close once more when she feels a breeze. Realizing that someone is in fact listening and possibly watching, she scans the room once more for anything that would give the speaker away. Seconds tick by without word and as she continues to search the darkness, her attempts at seeing past the darkness is rewarded when lights outside her room flicker to life.

Standing just on the outside of her so-called room, Eir finds a bald dark skinned man wearing an eye patch and a black leather trench coat studying her curiously. The man in charge seems to be flanked by the red-headed woman with fair skin she'd seen shooting her muggle weapons at deatheaters and the perfectly tanned archer with short-cropped dark hair she'd seen on the rooftops- both of whom were still in the outfits they had fought in.

While the red-headed woman and the dark skinned man watch her without showcasing any emotion, the archer can be seen fighting to mask his scowl at her. "I-is this really necessary?" She asks, gesturing to the room they were holding her in. "You have me at a disadvantage here."

The dark skinned man merely raises an eyebrow at her. "Until we can identify  _who_ you are and  _what_ you are-"

"I assure you, sir, I mean no harm." Eir immediately blurts, shaking her head in exasperation and holding her hands out in front of her in a show of surrender.

"Really?" The archer speaks, eyes narrowing on her arm. "The mark we found on you after cleaning you up since you helped one of our own says otherwise."

Eir frowns, shoulders slumping as she lets her hands fall, her eyes falling to the mark the man pointed out. Tears immediately prick at her eyes, Eir's new life shattering around her as the sole reason she moved away from the Wizarding Community was thrown right in her face once again. "That mark is the mistake of a weak-willed child, Mr.-" She trails off, picking up her head as watery eyes meet the gaze of the man accusing her of being a threat.

Getting the hint faster than the archer, the dark skinned man answers. "You can call them Agent." He tells her. "And call me Director Fury."

"Sir." Eir nods his head at him, refusing to call him Fury at this point of time and giving the male Agent her attention once more. "The path that led me to being marked was one I never wanted to begin with. I deflected years ago." She meets his heated gaze before glancing down at the mark on her arm, her anger suddenly getting the best of her which is causing equipment in the room to rattle once more. "This mark means nothing." She suddenly seethes.

When the three outside the room don't speak a work, Eir takes a deep breath to control herself and not further scare the individuals watching her with her wild magic. Once she's under control, items once more stop moving on their own, and Eir picks her head up to meet the gaze of those watching her.

..

..

Clint and Natasha tense once more when items start moving on their own, Natasha squeezing the piece of wood in her hand behind her back. The moment the woman picks her head back up, staring each of them down, the assassin duo easily pick up on the grief and hurt behind her eyes. They immediately know this woman has been through something quite traumatizing and she looks tired- like she's ready to give up but for some reason she keeps moving forward.

"Who are you? Are you working for anyone?"

"No." She shakes her head in denial. "I am merely someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time." She tells the dark skinned man. "Or right place at the right time." She amends with a huff before thrusting her marked arm out. "You obviously know something about this mark if you think me the enemy, am I correct?" When she gets no answer from the three, she lets her arm fall once more. "I stumbled upon the fight and was shocked and terrified to find  _them_  behind the attack. After crawling into the thick of it, your Captain America saved my life but the second he went down, I decided to return the favor. I fought for him and for myself, sir. Fighting against  _them_ now is a way of righting the wrongs from my past. If I was the enemy, why would I do that?"

Fury remains quiet and it's the two assassins who are starting to rethink their original opinion about the woman. Natasha and Clint glance at each other from the corner of their eyes, Nat's eyes conveying the message of  _what do you think?_  and Clint's shrug telling her  _hell if I know but definitely not the same as before._ Fury merely clasps his hands behind his back, staring straight ahead as the woman inside the room sighs. "Merlin's beard." She groans and even though Fury doesn't showcase it, he's wondering why this woman keeps referring to Merlin. "At least tell me how he's doing? That man got hit multiple times and no-one has ever taken that many hits without serious repercussions.

Another moment of silence passes but Fury gives in. "He's stable but not out of the woods." He tells her, eyes narrowing suspiciously now. "Whatever they hit him with- what  _they_ hit  _you_  with- isn't letting our technology scan to see what wounds are internal."

The woman visibly cringes and nods. "He won't get the help he needs unless you've got a medi-witch or medi-wizard on your team." She mutters. "With the amount of stunners he's been hit with, he'll more than likely have an aura of magic until he wakes plus the magic that's infused in his wounds will put your devices on the fritz."

Natasha and Clint suddenly perk up but, of course, it's Fury who beats them to the question on the tips of their tongues. "Is that what you are?! Is that what this is? Magic."

She gulps and nods sheepishly. "I am." And again, her marked arm is brought forward. "It's what the man who branded me had me study and train in when I couldn't-  _wouldn't_ pass his initial test into his merry band of followers." Three sets of eyes fall to the mark, the two sets belonging to the agents flickering back to her face eagerly and wanting to know more. "I can help your friend- your Captain- if you let me. I can possibly save him if you hurry." She pleads, the thought of a hero such as Captain America himself dying not sitting well with her. "If you return my wand, I'll save your friend and tell you whatever is it you want to know when he's in the clear."

Fury's eyes then zero in on her but before he can retort and think up an excuse to keep her locked up, a set of doors behind them slide open and the frantic and terrified expressions of the God of Thunder himself can be seen rushing forward.

"What in the hell-" Fury shouts, jumping aside as Thor rushes at himself, Agent Romanoff, and Agent Barton before pressing the  _open_ button on a computerized screen that was sitting next to the door of the room the witch was residing in. "Thor!"

The God of Thunder ignores him and the shouts of his fellow teammates as he rushes into the room with the witch and picks her up into a  _heartwarming hug._

..

..

Eir sees the door behind them open first, her eyes widening just the slightest as the Norse God of Thunder- her friend- enters the room in a panic. Eir knows they're his teammates and now that Thor's here there won't be any experimentation if he has any say so, and she nearly cracks a grin at his teammates starting to panic when he opens to door to her room and envelops her in a hug.

For a moment, she allows herself to be swept off her feet into the hug and relishes the fact that Thor remembered not to hug her too tightly because of here tiny frame compared to his.

"Excuse me but would you two explain what the hell is going on?!" Fury shouts, figuring it was safe to enter the opened doorway now. And of course, his words go unheard.

Thor and Eir continue to hug until Eir feels the breeze that she's starting to become familiar with. Eyes snapping open and catching that of the two Agents who are watching her curiously, her cheeks tint pink. "Uh, Thor, mind putting me down?" Thor pulls his head back, looking down at his friend that he's still carrying and when Eir sees his wounded expression, she quickly explains. "I-I'm glad to see you, I am, but in case you haven't noticed I'm in a flimsy gown." She tells him with a sheepish grin. " _Only_  a gown and nothing underneath."

Understanding dawns on the God, Thor quickly setting his friend on her feet before unclasping his red cape from his Asgardian gear and draping it around her shoulders. Once finding stability, Eir pulls the cape further around herself to cover her front as well.

"Is she from your realm then?" Fury's aggravated voice snaps them out of their little reunion.

When Thor and Eir turn to face the intimidating man, Eir takes a step back so that Thor is upfront. "You misunderstand, Director." Thor's voice seems to boom around the room. "Lady Banning is of your realm. From Midgard."

Eir and Thor are too focused on Director Fury that they don't see Natasha or Clint jerk upon hearing the name  _Banning._ "If she's from our realm then how do you know each other? You sure came flying at us like a bat out of hell to get to her." Fury looks suspicious now. "And how did you know she was here if you were on Asgard?"

Eir's eyebrows shoot up at hearing that, taking a few steps to the side to hear his answer as well. If he was in a completely different realm then how did he know where to find her? Why didn't he find her sooner?

"I apologize." Thor hangs his head in shame for a moment. "I was speaking with my Mother and Father about Loki's magic capabilities only to find out he's been stripped of them for the time being." He tells Director Fury. "So it is not my brother wreaking havoc upon Earth." Eir's brows now furrow, wondering why Loki would be stripped of his capabilities. "It was then that I was summoned by Heimdall. He saw my fellow Avengers mid-fight when Lady Banning was seen stepping in and falling by a fellow magic wielder's wand. I came when I saw her in danger."

"When you saw me in danger? Seriously?!" Eir scoffs, gaining everyone's attention as she put more space between herself and Thor, and thrusting out her marked arm. "So me getting  _this_  wasn't putting me in danger?!" She yells, angry tears prickling her eyes against her wishes. "Watching me go through what they deemed initiation and fighting for my life wasn't dangerous enough to warrant your attention? HUH?!"

Thor's eyes widen dramatically upon seeing the faded mark, reaching out delicately but before he can touch her arm, Eir throws herself forward on her tip toes and slaps the God of Thunder across the face. Natasha and Clint move to intervene but Fury shakes his head, halting them in their steps. "I- I am sorry." Thor mumbles, slowly turning his face to peer at his friend once more. "If I had known that was the path your parents had chosen for you, I'd have taken you back to Asgard with me. But you must understand," Thor tries pleading with his friend. "-it wasn't that I stopped caring about your life, Lady Eir." And once again, Clint and Natasha jerk upon hearing the name. "I was helping the Midgardians in a fight against Loki. Loki fell down a dark path and wreaked havoc not only on Midgard but on Asgard as well. I've been busy."

Understanding now dawns on Eir and nearly all her anger vanishes. "No." She shakes her head in denial. "No. Loki wouldn't-"

"He would and he did." Fury cuts her off, maneuvering his hands so they were behind his back. "Loki controlled the minds of several S.H.I.E.L.D employees and brought an army of Chitauri aliens to New York. He destroyed half the city."

Eir's body slumps in on herself and stumbles upon hearing the news of Loki's destruction, Thor being there in an instant to steady her. "Stupid, stupid git." She gasps, more tears falling down her face now as she looks up at Thor. "I'm sorry. So, so sorry. I shouldn't have hit you."

"All is forgiven." Thor fights off his own tears at watching his young friend fall apart and smiles fondly down at her, bringing her into another hug without picking her feet up off the ground. "I still should have kept an eye on you." He murmurs. "You don't deserve to be branded by that vile man's mark."

Eir sniffles, not bothering to try and string together sentences but luckily for her, she doesn't have to. "So now you know Loki as well?" Fury huffs. "Is there anyone you don't know?"

Thor and Eir ignore the man's words but it's the archer that catches their attention. "How exactly does a magic wielder from Earth know two Norse Gods?"

Eir pulls out of the hug with Thor to feebly grin up at the agent when Thor clears his throat to give his teammate the answers they seek. "When my brother and I were on good terms, we liked to travel to Midgard when we learned you mortals liked naming your children after Gods and Goddesses. Only when we met Miss Banning, we realized she was no mere mortal. She was of magic."

"So New Mexico wasn't your first stop to Earth?" Clint asks, bringing more attention to him.

Thor shakes his head. "No, it wasn't. But landing in New Mexico left me completely disorientated that I didn't know where I was for a while. You see, Agent Barton, Eir's community is hidden right before your-"

"Not now." Eir sighs, cutting Thor off mid explanation. "There's a man possibly dying- a man that I could save- and you're talking about how we first met?" She shakes her head in a disapproving manner at Thor and the male agent. "I'll tell you whatever it is you want to know but please, at least let me save the man who saved my life earlier."

"So you say." Fury eyes her up and down. "But I'm not sure I can trust you."

"Of course you can." Thor booms. "Eir Banning is a good being. She would never-"

The female agent lays a hand on Fury's shoulder, gaining his attention until he leans back and Thor trails off in his defending Eir's honor. As the female agent whispers something into Fury's ear- with his one good eye, he narrows it at Eir and huffs before giving his attention to the witch. "Whose identities do you know from the Avengers?"

E-excuse me?"

"You heard me." Fury deadpans. "Whose real identities do you know?"

"Er- well," Eir gulps before looking at Thor. "-I know he's Thor a-and that Tony Stark is Iron Man." She bites her bottom lip nervously before looking at the agents flanking Fury. "I've seen you on the telly but no names were ever given."

When she says no more, Fury narrows his eyes on her. "What of the Hulk and Captain America?"

"They're heroes?" Eir tries with a feeble smile, her answer coming out as a question. When Fury and the two agents don't show any type of emotion, she groans. "I don't know what you want to hear, sir, but that's all I know. I don't know anything else, I swear on my magic!"

The room falls into a silence before Fury sighs and turns to face his female agent. "Take her to him." He tells her. "And if anything goes wrong, it's on your head, Romanoff."

Agent Romanoff nods brusquely as Director Fury takes his leave, leaving the Avengers with Eir. Sharing a quick nod with Agent Barton, Agent Romanoff turns to Eir and with a small grin, produces Eir's wand from behind her back. "If you'll come with us, we'll take you to Captain America to see how you can help."

Eir's eyes widen, nodding frantically and taking her wand. She sighs in relief once she feels the warmth of her magic connecting back with her and as she starts to twirl it between her fingers, the two agents gesture for her to follow.

Thor follows behind his friend, making sure to leave his hand on her shoulder so she knew of his presence behind her until they hit the medical wing. Doctors and nurses are scrambling about, making room for the foursome down the hallway and when they get to a private room, Eir hears as the two agents clear the room out before calling her in.

Agent Romanoff and Barton are standing across from one another, the bed with the body in between them, but their faces are focused solely on Eir.

The moment Eir sees the face of the patient for the first time, it's like all the air is knocked from her lungs as she trips over her own foot in shock with wide eyes. "Steve?"

* * *

**Ahh, another cliffhanger! Haha, I'm sorry.**

**And I bet you didn't see this coming, huh? Thor being the buffer between S.H.I.E.L.D/Avengers and Eir ;) We'll get more explanations and meetings in the next two chapters.**

**If you're reading, please leave a review to let me now what you like and/or hate.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Previously on A Second Chance..**

_Thor follows behind his friend, making sure to leave his hand on her shoulder so she knew of his presence behind her until they hit the medical wing. Doctors and nurses are scrambling about, making room for the foursome down the hallway and when they get to a private room, Eir hears as the two agents clear the room out before calling her in._

_Agent Romanoff and Barton are standing across from one another, the bed with the body in between them, but their faces are focused solely on Eir._

_The moment Eir sees the face of the patient for the first time, it's like all the air is knocked from her lungs as she trips over her own foot in shock with wide eyes. "Steve?"_

* * *

Thor is immediately there to steady her, eyes darting back and forth from Eir to Captain Rogers that his magical friend just called by name while Natasha and Clint share a brief look of  _oh shit_.

"Lady Eir?" Thor murmurs softly, gaze still darting between the two. "You know Captain Rogers?"

She numbly nods, reaching forward to steady her own self as she grips the hard plastic foot board of her friend's bed, her wand clinking against the plastic. Once more, her eyes sting with tears but instead of wiping them away, she lets them freely fall without a care of who's watching her. "H-he's my friend." She tells the room's occupants. "We live in the same building."

"And you didn't know who he was?" Thor questions.

"No. No, he never said anything." Eir sniffles. Watching Steve lay there with cuts, gashes, and bruises along his neck and upper torso has her both wanting to break down and cry for nearly losing a friend and/or going back out there and rounding up the remaining deatheaters for harming her friend.

"Well, to be fair-" Natasha's voice breaks the silence the room had fallen into. "-you never told him you were a witch. Or whatever it is you are." When Eir's gaze snaps up to meet hers, Natasha shrugs nonchalantly. "He talks about you." She says as a way of explaining how she knew the connection between the two of them.

"And now you know why I didn't tell him I was a witch!" Eir hisses, reigning her temper in when she sees the agent's hand linger next to a weapon that's strapped to her thigh. "The moment your partner laid eyes on my faded mark, I was instantly guilty of being the enemy. And that was  _after_ I outed myself as a witch to protect Captain America's body when they kept firing spells at him!"

As Natasha and Eir have their stare down, Clint and Thor shrug at one another knowing full well to never step between two females. Instead of arguing though, the two females calm themselves down before going back to the current problem. Steve.

"So how are we doing this?" Clint finally speaks up, gaining Eir's attention. "What exactly do you have to do?"

"I need to see exactly what curses hit him." She mutters, her eyes lingering on Steve's too still form. She limps her way to Steve's side, choosing to stand on Natasha's side when the female agent moves away without being told. As Eir hovers by his side, she rips off the bandages from her hands as she bites her bottom lip in contemplation, but a cough from somewhere behind her catches her attention.

When she sees several Doctors standing there watching, she suddenly becomes self conscious and nervous. "I need them gone." She gestures over her shoulder at the Doctors watching. "I'll only allow one of them in to work on Steve when he wakes but the doctor you choose should be someone you would trust with your life and secrets. Someone who won't go behind their boss' back and try to study me after they see what I am capable of."

Clint nods in understanding and as he strides to the door to shoo the doctors away, Natasha speaks up. "There's only one doctor that we would approve of but unfortunately, your kind have tied him up with sturdy ropes and chains. Even when shrinking back to human form, the binding shrunk with him."

"Shrunk?" Eir's brows furrow in confusion.

"Doctor Bruce Banner." Natasha tells her. "Also known at the Hulk."

"Oh." Eir mumbles. She had just thought the green beast was a beast and not a human who morphed into that. "Well, is he in human form now? I can free him if he'd like." Natasha raises an eyebrow at the witch, a gesture that clearly says  _explain._ "It's a simple spell, really. Either someone has to know the spell that ends all spells or the original caster needs to end it his or herself, or die which then voids all of their current spells."

Natasha studies the witch before her, trying to see if she's being honest and upfront with them, and then nods at someone over Eir's shoulder. When Eir turns to see what's going on, Clint's pressing his fingers to something at his ear and talking quickly about wheeling Bruce to the Captain's room.

As they stand in silence, Eir nervously pulls at the cape around her shoulders until Thor caves in and makeshifts a toga like dress out of his cape for Eir to wear for the time being. Eir quickly thanks him, refusing to meet Natasha's now rather amused expression and instead focuses her attention on the door where a fatigued, yet disgruntled middle-aged man is being wheeled in.

Clint takes control over the wheel chair, dismissing the doctor wheeling in their friend before moving around and shutting the door to the room as well as the mini blinds over the windows.

"Uh, what's going on?" The clothe-less man sitting in a wheel chair- a white sheet draped over his lap- asks. He has a ridiculous  _moppy_ head of salt-n-pepper hair, a five o'clock shadow discoloring half his face, and ropes and chains wrapped around his upper torso and lower body. "And who's this?" His gaze settles on Eir.

"Bruce," Clint rests his hands on the man's shoulders. "-meet Eir Banning. Witch." He smirks as he met Eir's gaze. "She can help you out of your bindings and is going to help the Capsicle since our other doctors aren't able to."

Bruce's gaze widens a bit, his gaze darting from Eir to the stick she's holding and to Steve who's lying unconscious on the bed. Realizing that he was putting the pieces together, Eir rolls her eyes. "Yes,  _that_  Eir. Apparently Steve spoke of me."

Bruce nods his confirmation. "You can say that."

"And now that introductions are out of the way," Clint chirps, moving to stand at Bruce's side. "-we might as well tell you why you're here." Bruce's attention turns up to his teammate as Clint explains the reasoning for Eir only wanting one doctor in the room when she performed her magic. Bruce easily agreed, having known what it was like to be treated as an experiment when the Hulk first manifested and agreed to the terms of staying mum about her abilities. He even seemed to relax a bit when she quickly told him that since he was a friend of Steve, she would allow him to ask whatever questions he had if she and Steve were still on speaking terms after this whole ordeal was over. He gave his thanks and the moment Eir lifted her wand arm to release Bruce from his bindings, the man jerked in surprise at the mark on her inner forearm.

"Don't!" Clint moves to settle his teammate much to the surprise of Eir. "I already made the mistake of judging her too soon." He soothes Bruce, Eir watching in fascination as the green tint to Bruce's skin starts to retreat. "She'll explain everything after Steve wakes. She agreed to tell Fury everything he wants to know."

Casting a sad smile at Bruce, Eir raises her wand once more. " _Finite incantatem._ "

Bruce sighs in relief once his bindings disappear, gripping the sheet over his lap and pulling it up a bit more to cover his naked form. Eir suppresses a grin before looking around the room, her gaze falling upon a free bed with it's numerous sheets. "Thor," She calls out, pointing to the free bed. "-can you rip that sheet over there in half? It appears Dr. Banner is in desperate need of clothing."

Bruce blushes as Thor happily does as he was told, pulling free a white sheet and ripping it in half as requested. Taking one half from her friend, Eir grins at those curiously watching her and taps her wand to the fabric, her grin widening as it transforms into a plain white shirt.

Thor laughs, taking the shirt in his own hands before passing it to Bruce before he hands the other half of the sheet to Eir who taps her wand once more to the fabric only to have it transform into a pair of white pants.

"Marvelous!" Thor's excited voice booms around the room, taking the pants and inspecting them before passing them to Banner. "Your powers seemed to have grown since our last encounter."

"Indeed." Eir's smile falters, her smile projecting sadness now more than happiness. Turning to Bruce, she catches him inspecting the two garments of clothing with curious eyes. "Once on, they'll readjust to your size. I'm sorry I couldn't do more."

"No, no." Bruce shakes his head before meeting Eir's gaze. "This is fine. Thank you."

Eir nods at him, giving the man her back and gesturing for Thor and the others to turn as well so doctor Banner could get dress with as much privacy as he could. Once settled in his newly transfigured clothing, he stands and strides over to the bed where the others are now standing around.

As Bruce tries to manage his hair into something more presentable, Eir fiddles with her wand as she peers down at Steve and bites her lip in contemplation about her first move. Once she has it figured out, she tells them her plan so they don't worry when she raises her wand. "The first thing I'm going to do is cast a charm over Steve's body. What this specific charm will do is tell us what curses or hexes were hurled at him and hit their target. Is this okay with everyone?" At everyone's hum of agreement, Eir raises her wand over Steve's form. " _Prior Incantato._ "

The team watch in silence as the tip of Eir's wand glows before a golden bubble engulfs Steve's entire form. After a few seconds, several bruises that dotted Steve's flesh let out wisps of red and Eir sighs.

"What does the red mean?" Natasha asks.

"Stunners." She mumbles her reply as red wisp after red wisp appear. "One stunner is enough to knock a witch or wizard unconscious and Steve was hit with at least seven. How is this even possible?"

"Super serum, maybe?" Clint shrugs and Bruce nods along with Clint's guess. "Steve's body can endure a lot more than what we normal folks can."

Eir takes that reasoning as the reason why it took so many to take Steve down but the second a wisp of purple forms from three gashes on Steve's chest and then flash blue, Eir curses beneath her breath and pales.

"What is it?" Bruce asks when he sees the reaction.

"I- I don't know." Eir blurts, leaning in closer to get a look at the wounds. "I've only seen that reaction twice but it's nothing good." She tells him. "If it's what I think it is then this curse will slowly boil his blood and eat his flesh from the inside out until his body can't take it anymore. Even though he can't hear us or see us, he'll feel every second of pain until it kills him."

When no-one speaks, Eir chances a glance up only to find every face pale and horror stricken.

"Lady Eir, there must be something you can do for our friend. Please." Thor pleads.

"I d-don't know!" Eir squeaks. "I've never fixed this injury before; I've only ever seen it done and it's not pleasant for either individual involved."

"What do you mean not pleasant?"

Eir gulps as she looks up at Clint, her heart hammering inside her chest. "To fix this, it takes a lot of power. It'll drain my magical core and Steve will more than likely wake up in agony halfway through."

"Will it kill you?" Natasha deadpans and Eir shakes her head in a negative manner. "Then do it. Bruce and Thor can hold him down should he wake and fight you."

Without having to be told, Thor and Bruce move to take a spot on either side of Steve's shoulder area, standing there and waiting for instruction. As Eir peers down sadly at Steve, she gulps once more before gripping her wand tight in hand and praying to Merlin this works for her and Steve.

"I'm going to need a metal container with a large opening."

Clint immediately steps up to plate, scouring the room until he comes back with a metal trash can. "Will this do?"

"Yes." Eir takes the trashcan deeming it acceptable, tapping her wand against the rim and as the trashcan glows bright for a few seconds, she explains her actions. "Fixing this won't be pleasant. The gashes are riddled with dark magic so I'm going to have to draw the energy out with my fingers. I need something to hold what comes out and this should do." She explains and sets the small trash can by Steve's legs.

Eir takes a moment to prepare herself, stretching her arms and upper torso as she tells them to roll Steve's bed out some so Thor and Bruce could stand further up, and so she'd have easier access to his chest. As Bruce and Thor do as they were told, Eir fiddles with her wand before finding the words in her memory that she needed for this to work. After making sure everyone is ready, she starts chanting in Latin as she slowly waves her wand over Steve's chest until it glows a brilliant gold.

"This is where it gets gross." She tells them and tosses her wand aside. "Hold his shoulders down, I'm not entirely sure when he'll wake up."

Bruce and Thor immediately place a palm on each of Steve's shoulder, ready to push down at any moment. Eir grimaces, calling up on her magic before sinking three of her fingers into the gashes on Steve's chest and rakes them down from the top of the cut to the bottom. Something in another language is muttered behind her but Eir focuses her attention solely on Steve as she pulls free her trembling fingers from his wounds, a black ethereal sludge hanging from the tips of her fingers.

"What in the hell is that?" Clint mutters horrified, watching as Eir carries her hands over to the small trashcan and flicks her fingers free of the substance.

Eir breathes deeply, shaking her head clear for a moment as a dizzy spell overcomes her. "Dark magic. There's more in there so there's no telling how many more times I'm going to have to do this."

"Are you well, my friend?" Thor asks. "You suddenly look unwell."

"I'm fine." She answers a little too quickly. "Just prepare yourselves." Eir tells him, flexing her fingers before diving back in, muttering more Latin beneath her breath as she rakes her fingers through Steve's wounds.

More sludge follows, Natasha and Clint scowling at the dark magic hanging from the tips of Eir's fingers before she let it pool together in the trashcan at the edge of the bed. Eir rakes her fingers through the wounds over and over, and it isn't until the seventh pull of dark magic does Steve finally stir.

Steve groans, the soldier breathing through his pain and fighting to sit up even though he could barely keep his eyes open, but Bruce and Thor force him back into the bed.

"One.. one more." Eir mumbles, swaying slightly in spot, eyes hooded as Clint and Natasha watch her warily.

"I've think you've done enough." Natasha murmurs softly. "He's waking up now. Bruce can take it from here."

Stubborn as ever, Eir shakes her head. "Just one more. I can sense it."

Natasha bites the inside of her cheek but lets the girl do what she supposedly did best. With a mumbled apology, Eir sticks her fingers back into the wounds only to have Steve struggle harder and actually scream in utter agony at the foreign and uncomfortable feeling now that he was awake.

As Eir transfers the dark magic to the trashcan for the last time and tells Clint to set the can aside, Steve is wide awake and blinking owlishly up at his teammates while coming down from his high of pain. When he asks what's going on, Eir sways dangerously to the side and Natasha catches her.

Hearing his teammate's exclamation of shock, Steve pushes himself to sit up only to find a familiar drowsy and barely conscious British woman.

"Eir?"

"Mr. Rogers." She slurs, a feeble grin tilting the corner of her lips upward before she gives in to her body's need of rest and passes out in Natasha's arms.

* * *

**I know.. I KNOW! I'm sorry for yet another cliffhanger. Lol. Sorry for any mistakes.**

**I wasn't going to update today but then I figured eh, what the hell. Happy Valentine's Day!**


	10. Chapter 10

The moment Steve had awoken and got over the initial shock of Eir passing out right before his eyes, there was a flurry of activity as Natasha and Clint moved her over to the free bed in the room, and Bruce tried his best to keep Steve situated in his own bed to be looked over.

Steve spat question after question of why Eir was there but his team refused to answer him. It wasn't until he saw the faded mark for himself did he start to doubt his entire friendship with the woman but as he thought about it, he figured he'd have to let her explain herself when she woke. After all, she had weeks to kill him or gain information about S.H.I.E.L.D if that was this new threat's plan but she hadn't. Instead, she integrated him into her life and introduced him to one of her old friends from back home while helping him cook.

When Steve had spotted the stick at the edge of his bed, he picked it up and that only reinforced that his friend was not entirely normal as she appeared to be. When Bruce patched Steve up and exclaimed that he was okay to move about, Fury immediately called him in to be debriefed and he went without a word.

Fury fired question after question of his own- the Director wanted to know exactly when and how Steve met Eir. He asked if the woman was ever interested in his line of work and the more Steve talked about his encounters with Eir, the more he realized she really was innocent in this but that didn't stop him from wondering  _why_ she had that specific mark tattooed on her inner forearm.

After Fury got whatever he wanted from Steve, he dismissed the soldier back to the hospital room where the witch resided. If she was really innocent in all this then seeing Steve's face when she finally woke up would make things easier for them all.

So there Steve sat, having moved his bed to sit side by side with Eir's as she slept. When he realized that no machines were hooked up to her to give them any readings, Bruce explained that magic interfered with their technology. And after Steve wondered aloud what was going on with Eir that she passed out, Bruce explained to him what she had done. He spoke of a magical core and exhaustion, and was assured that her body was more than likely just resting until she was fit enough to be up.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

Magical exhaustion seemed to be a pretty big deal with the witches and wizards, and the Avengers were quite shocked that it took two days for Eir to fully wake up.

Steve and Thor had been constant presences in Eir's room with Clint occasionally stopping by to bring the guys sustenance. Bruce had inserted an IV to keep Eir hydrated while she regained her strength in whatever coma her body had put her in, and Natasha made sure to keep Tony away until Eir was fully awake. The last thing Steve needed was Tony baiting him as he kept vigil over the woman.

And it was just their luck that the day Tony managed to slip by the Black Widow was the same day that Eir's eyes fluttered open.

..

..

"Get Dr. Banner. Now!" Steve instructs Thor as Eir blinks rapidly, trying to adjust her eye sight to the brightness of the room without giving herself a headache.

Though Bruce had liquids flowing through Eir's body, whatever was going on with her really did a number. Her skin wasn't it's usual ivory, her hair was limp, her lips weren't plush pink, and for being  _asleep-_ the bags under her eyes were heavy and dark.

"Wh- where.."

"Ssh." Steve shushes her, immediately crawling out of his own bed and pushing it aside in favor of standing next to Eir's bed. "It's okay. Thor went to get Bruce. Just lay there and rest."

Eir continues to blink, adjusting her gaze to her surroundings and it's then that Steve notices how dull and haunted her eyes look once more. Fighting off a frown, a scowl instead takes it's place when a low whistle sounds at the door.

"Whoa, Rogers!" Tony strolls into the room with a smug grin on his face before quickly glancing over his shoulder. "If this is what you classify as beautiful.." His words trail off as Natasha slides into the room, her eyes shooting daggers at the back of Tony's head as he chuckles at Eir's expression.

"Bugger off, you git." She manages to grit out which only causes Tony to grin rather wolfishly.

"You are terribly rude." He then turns his nose upward, moving further into the room. "But I'll let it slide until you're more coherent."

"Not now, Stark." Steve mutters harshly. "She just woke up and I'm not sure how much she remembers from before she passed out."

Tony's amused expression falters but being the egotistical man he is- he doesn't let his slight curiosity or worry show. Thor comes rushing back into the room with Bruce at his heels so Bruce could start his checkup and then tries his best to assure Eir that she's safe by telling her they're the good guys. Natasha briefly murmurs in the comm at her ear before falling silent and watches from the back of the room.

Bruce immediately produces a pen flashlight from his shirt pocket, leaning over Eir to check her pupil reaction. "Eir, do you remember me?"

"Blimey, Dr. Banner." She groans, clamping her eyes shut at the light "Yes, I remember."

"Good." He tells her, smothering a grin. "What about these other men and woman?"

Eir blinks some before her head tilts from side to side to look around, a feeble grin lifting up the corner of her lips, "Thor." Said man beams down at her causing her to snort and then wince in pain before looking at the next familiar face. "Steve." She breaths airily.

"Man," Tony whistles in glee. "-she's got it bad for you, Rogers." He thumps Steve on the back but Steve pays him no mind.

"That egotistical prat is Tony Stark also known as Iron Man." Eir musters up her best eye roll that won't make her feel sick. As her eyes scan the rest of the room, Clint enters the room and stands back with Natasha. "Those two," She nods at them so Bruce knows who she's speaking of. "-are Agent Romanoff and Barton. I'm not sure of their code names though."

"Hawkeye." Clint smirks at her before gesturing to Natasha. "Black Widow."

"Fitting." Eir offers them a grin. "You've got great eye sight with that bow of yours and you," Her eyes lock on with Natasha. "-beautiful yet deadly."

Natasha flashes her a brief smirk before schooling her expression to appear uninterested. "Do you know where you are? What you spoke about before passing out?" Steve asks her worriedly.

Eir nods. "Yeah. I remember everything and I'm keeping my word to the eye patch bloke." She mumbles before shakily reaching up and rubbing at her throat. "I just need a little bit more time. Food to energize me some for the upcoming conversation."

"That won't be a problem." Bruce agrees, picking up a stethoscope before taking her vitals the old fashion way. In the back of the room, Clint mumbles into his own comm before watching his team interact with the newest member aboard the Helicarrier.

As Bruce pokes and prods with Eir's permission, a nurse suddenly comes in with a tray a food and rolls it up the bed before she's immediately dismissed. Steve is there to help Eir sit up and readjusts the bed into a sitting position as Thor fluffs up the pillows to make her more comfortable.

They start her off with water and a bowl of fruit- which seems to perk her up some- but it's the hot soup and crackers that starts to help bring color back to her face and that familiar twinkle in her eyes that Steve grew accustomed to.

While Thor and Steve have taken to sitting on either side of Eir's bed, Clint and Natasha sit on the far side of the room to keep an eye on them. Bruce and Tony were in out of the room- both geniuses checking she was getting better and making sure Fury hadn't started his interrogation to stick around since Eir told them she was perfectly fine with having the Avengers team present when she gave Fury her story.

It was during the time of her brief recuperation that Natasha caved and found a brush and hair tie for Eir when the witch kept running her fingers through her limp waves to appear presentable. After a quick thank you to Natasha, the Black Widow glared at her team members as if saying  _never speak of my hospitality_ but the only one she had to worry about teasing her was Clint since Tony wasn't there. Since they were partners, he apparently had it in his head that he could get away with lots of things which was true but she wouldn't tell him that to his face.

..

..

Eir's resting her eyes for a moment when Steve re-enters the room from a brief break he took, taking the vacant chair next to Eir's bed and propping his legs up at the edge of the mattress.

"So a witch, huh? Can't say I saw that one coming."

"I guess not, huh, Captain?"

There's a moment of tense silence before Steve and Eir immediately break out in matching grins, and it's Eir who falters first, sadness tinging her own. "I'm sorry, you know? For keeping it a secret." She mumbles. "You seemed like someone I could trust in the long run and I would have told you eventually but-"

"It's okay." Steve cuts her off, setting his feet back on the floor and leaning forward. "I wasn't exactly upfront with you about being Captain America. I guess you could say we're even now."

Eir looks as if she's about to argue with him on it but Fury's sudden intrusion has her snapping her mouth shut. A woman follows in after him clad in a deep blue catsuit with on odd symbol on her shoulder, a gun holstered at her hip, her hair perfectly styled into a bun at the back of her head, and a folder in hand. Both Fury and the mystery woman have blank expressions and it's after he's secured a chair at the end of Eir's bed does he speak.

"I was informed this room had been cleared out of unwanted eyes and ears. Figured we might as well have our little talk in here." He deadpans before gesturing to the woman behind him. "This is Agent Maria Hill; my second in command. She's here to take notes."

Agent Maria Hill doesn't greet Eir- merely blinking and finding a seat of her own before crossing one leg over the other and placing the folder atop her knee. When Bruce and Tony enter, Eir swears she saw the Maria woman scowl at Tony and Tony merely wink in response.

Eir purses her lips, eyes narrowing on the new agent as if trying to wonder if she's trustworthy or not. She sits up a little straighter, pulling the bed sheet a little higher up on her lap before sighing. "What I'm about to answer for you goes against my Wizarding government. I can get my wand  _snapped_ for telling you what you want." She tells him, her shoulders slumping and her eyes wandering over to her wand that's sitting on the tray her food once resided on. "When they find out I've told muggles our secret, I'm sure a certain ally of mine can get the Minister to make an exception for the Avenger's knowing of our existence but I must make sure that this information stays classified. I'm allowing you to hear my story and  _only_  the highest of officials will see your commander's notes should the occasion calls for it."

At the end of her mini-rant, Eir immediately has everyone's interest piqued if their sudden closeness to her bed is anything to go by.

Fury grunts, crossing his arms over his chest as he leans back in his chair, glaring with his one good eye. Tony isn't bothering to hide his amused grin as his gaze darts back and forth between Eir and Fury, and Clint's just as bad with wanting to see how this is going to pan out. Fury is anything but nice, especially when he wants answers, so they're surprised and a bit let down when he agrees to her terms.

"Deal. Information is confidential unless we're out of our league and need to inform others." He nods just as Agent Hill pulls a pen out of nowhere and marks the corner of the folder with some symbol and numbers before opening it up to reveal clean sheets of paper.

The silence that follows lead Eir to believe that this is her opening to reveal her story, only when she opens her mouth, her voice gets caught in her throat and her mind goes blank.

She has no idea where to start or how much to tell them.

She opens her mouth again only to snap it shut a second later and groans in frustration.

"Don't hurt yourself, Princess." Tony snorts which causes Eir to glare at him. Normally, she'd find his teasing amusing but right now, she can't exactly tolerate it. Though when she's about to give Tony a quick piece of her mind, a whimsical silver-blue mist suddenly appears through the wall. Tony's amusement is gone in a flash as he yelps, "Security breach!"

Everyone sans Eir tense before Romanoff, Barton, Hill, and Fury are reaching for their guns which only causes Eir to laugh. The moment she laughs though, she flinches and curls in on herself only remembering a second too late that her body wasn't exactly up to par yet.

"Stand down." She mumbles to the room, her eyes finding the mist as it dances around the four walls of the room. "And can someone tell me what animal form it's taking? I'm having trouble focusing on it."

"Animal?" Steve asks softly. "It turns into an animal?"

Eir catches his gaze and offers him a soft smile. "Yeah. Watch it."

"What the hell is going on?" Fury suddenly demands as the team watch the mist warily. "What is it?"

"It's a patronus." Eir sighs, readjusting her position in bed. "That there is the purest form of good magic that you'll ever see." And once those words leave her mouth, they watch on as the mist takes shape of a very familiar otter that now appears to be swimming on it's back towards her, and the agents start putting away their weapons. "It's a way to fight off dementors and send messages. Just.. listen."

The otter comes to a stop in front of her, sitting up on it's hind legs in mid-air as it's cracks open it's mouth.  _"Are you okay? Kingsley's just told of the attack! Please tell me you weren't spotted, Eir?! That attack is too close for comfort."_

"Is that- is that Hermione?" Steve's forehead crinkles in confusion while Tony whistles appreciatively.

"Wow, Cap, you know two witches? You've been holding out on us."

Steve scowls at Tony before turning back to Eir who confirms that he's right. It is Hermione.

" _The American Ministry is still refusing to call us in. A wizard came forward who caught the beginning of the fight- telling the Ministry that the deatheaters created chaos but seemed intent on harming the Avengers rather than the regular muggles. We don't know their reasoning for instigating a fight but you need to be careful. You know what will happen if they spot you."_

Eir gulps, fingers gripping the sheet in her hands just a little tighter. She knows full well exactly what would happen if she were to be captured and it's only a matter of time before she is now that she's willing to help the Avengers out with whatever they need.

" _I must go now but if you don't reply within the hour, I will risk war to find you and make sure you're safe. I really hope it doesn't come to that."_

The patronus fades away and Eir isn't that surprised by the American Ministry doing nothing. They have always been a lazy lot and it didn't seem like they were likely to change anytime soon. When she looks up though, her amusement is back with a vengeance as she sees questions burning in everyone's gaze but before they can ask, there's something she must do.

"Mind if I reply? Hermione's not a patient witch especially when it involves my safety." She grins tiredly at Fury. "It doesn't matter if I give away my location or not because there's tracking spells for that but I will have to tell her who I'm with so I can quell some of her worry.." She softly pleads.

Fury's once again silent, mulling over the witch's words and it's Thor who backs her up. "If you're worried about any further exposure, there's no need. The Wizarding Community is just as secret as S.H.I.E.L.D and these people Lady Eir speaks with are of the good variety. Anything said will only be spoken to those worthy of knowing."

Eyes travel back and forth from Eir to Thor and to Fury as Agent Hill furiously scribbles down whatever notes she deems worthy of going over later. Very reluctantly, Fury nods his approval and Eir sighs in relief.

Reaching over and picking up her wand, Eir bites her bottom lip to keep from smiling too much, and while gripping her wand just the right way she thinks of a current happy memory to call upon her own messenger. "Expecto patronum."

The tip of her wand glows, the entire room watching intently as the whimsical vapor oozes from said wand before gathering together and swirling around the room. The moment it takes shape of a fox, the patronus runs and leaps along all four walls before doing something she's never seen it do before.

Her patronus sizes up each individual in the room.

Fury, Agent Hill, and Tony get a flick of the tail as if it's not interested in them while Clint, Natasha, and Bruce get curious head tilts which seems to make Tony pout. The fox circles Thor's head, coming to a brief stop at the back of his head as it playfully swats at the pony tail that Eir just now realizes the God is sporting but since the fox is only a patronus, it's paw goes right through Thor's hair without him feeling it. And Steve, Steve gets the curious head tilt  _and_ an almost affectionate form of nuzzling from the ethereal fox to his cheek.

"Wh- what's happening?" He gulps as the patronus tries nuzzling him some more.

"I'm not sure." Eir giggles. "It's never done that before." The room's occupants are torn between looking amused at Steve's expression and worried when Eir says that it's never done this before. After a few more seconds of Steve feeling uncomfortable, she calls it off. " _Oi!_ I need you for a message not a cuddle." She barks and once more, the team is shocked that this ghostly image actually listens and Agent Hill is back to scribbling in her notes.

Once the fox trots up to her, he cracks opens his mouth and Eir relays her message.  _"I hate messages via patronus, just you know. I never know how to start one off but you threatened war so here it is. I was out and about during the attack so yes, I was spotted."_  She sighs, taking a couple of breaths before continuing.  _"But I'm fine, really I am. That Captain America bloke saved me but the deatheaters were hell bent on taking him out. The moment he fell, I stepped in, and you know I'm not one to walk away from a fight when someone's life is on the line."_  Eir grins but quickly continues on to finish her message.  _"Tell Kingsley I'm sorry but I have to tell these Avengers who and what they're dealing with. I know what the consequences are about telling muggles but I'm sure Kingsley can run interference and keep the Ministry from summoning me._

_Now.. these blokes are just as secretive as the Wizarding Community, from what I gather, so I won't be telling you all that I'm bound to find out with them. Our fight just became their fight, 'Mione, but if they think we need more help you can bet your arse you will be the first witch I call even if we risk war with the American Ministry. Don't be mad and if you can, owl me my pensieve. I have a feeling I'll need it."_ Once Eir finishes, she sets her wand down and nods. "Take the message to Hermione." And with a nod from her fox, the fox runs around the room before disappearing.

The team is left speechless as they watch the fox disappear and Agent Hill is too busy scribbling in her notes to notice the awed looks of everyone around her. As Eir takes a moment to readjust the pillows behind her back, she takes a sip of her water that was on the tray next to her bed before grinning over at Fury. "I know it's eating you up on the inside, sir, so what's your first question?"

Without missing a beat, Fury answers, "What exactly are deatheaters?"

* * *

**Lol. I am not that sorry for yet ANOTHER cliffhanger.. only because I need your input on something! Promise.**

**I'm a few chapters away from completing the ENTIRE story which will be 28 chapters in total, but I need your advice. There is a white bengal kitten and a white barn owl being purchased and I need names. What would you name a white bengal kitten and a white barn owl?**


	11. Chapter 11

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: So since my Doctor's visit went pretty well today, I decided to go ahead and update since I'm in a really good mood :D By the way, a quick _Thank You_ to Amanda for helping me choose names for the animals in a later chapter.**

* * *

**Previously on A Second Chance..**

_The team is left speechless as they watch the fox disappear and Agent Hill is too busy scribbling in her notes to notice the awed looks of everyone around her. As Eir takes a moment to readjust the pillows behind her back, she takes a sip of her water that was on the tray next to her bed before grinning over at Fury. "I know it's eating you up on the inside, sir, so what's your first question?"_

_Without missing a beat, Fury answers, "What exactly are deatheaters?"_

Her grin falters for everyone to see but she quickly masks her slip up and glances down at her inner forearm. "Deatheaters were-  _are_ \- the loyal followers to the darkest wizard to have ever lived known as Lord Voldemort or The Dark Lord."

Tony snorts and rolls his eyes at the name as Eir catches more than a couple sets of eyes darting down to her marked arm before she hides it from view. "And you were one of these followers?" Fury guesses.

"Yes." Eir gulps and scowls before shaking her head, refusing to meet anyone's gaze because she's afraid of what she'd see from Steve. "And no."

"Explain."

Taking a moment to think and gather her thoughts, she catches Fury's gaze since he is the one leading this so called interrogation. "In the Wizarding Community, whether we like it or not, we are classified by our blood status. There are the pure bloods- witches and wizards whose each generation of family have both a magical mother and magical father. There are half-bloods who have one magical parent and one non-magical parent. And lastly, there are muggleborns who are born to muggle parents. Muggles are non-magic folk, just so you know.

Pure bloods are a rather superior bunch and are raised to believe that half-bloods are barely worthy of their magic and muggleborns are the scum of the earth who don't deserve magic at all. Now Lord Voldemort, he was a vile man who practiced dark magic since the moment he knew he possessed odd abilities and grew bored with what the school was teaching him. As he grew older, he became obsessed with blood purity and aimed to rid the Wizarding World of any muggle heritage before he conquered our world and then yours."

Agent Hill is scribbling furiously as everyone mulls over Eir's words. "So a magical lunatic tried taking over the world? That's nothing new." Tony scoffs. "Where's the psycho now?"

Agent Hill stops scribbling as everyone waits for the answer. "Dead." Eir tells him and the room seems to sigh in relief at once. "You see, he had many followers before I was even born, two of which were my parents." She mutters, averting her gaze once more already feeling the shame for mentioning her parent's involvement. "He recruited followers and in his high of power, a prophecy was spoken of a baby being born as the seventh month dies that would have the power to defeat him. This baby would be born to the parents who had thrice defied him and back then, there were only two families who were expecting at the end of the seventh month; the Potters and the Longbottoms.

After the babies were born, Voldemort chose to take on the Potters and sent his most loyal deatheater at the time, Bellatrix, to take out the Longbottoms. The Longbottoms had sent their son to his Grandmum for the evening and Bellatrix tortured them for their son's location but they never gave him up. But the Potters, they weren't so lucky." She sighs sadly. "Voldemort killed Mr. Potter upon entering their home while Mrs. Potter fled upstairs with baby Harry. They were trapped in their own home and when Voldemort found Lily upstairs, she begged for him to spare her son's life but he wouldn't hear none of it. When she didn't move out of the way, he killed her before turning his wand on Harry.

What Voldemort didn't know was that with Lily's sacrifice, the oldest form of magic wrapped itself around Harry so when Voldemort cast his curse to kill the boy, it rebounded off of Harry and hit Voldemort himself- blowing up the house in the process."

"What's the oldest form of magic?" Clint asks, completely enthralled with the tale.

Eir's lips quirk up into a fond grin. "Love." This earns a couple of snorts around the room but Eir doesn't let it deter her. "So, anyway, the deatheaters were furious that their leader was killed and most of the deatheaters who were caught got sent to Azkaban. Since my parents were stealthy and very manipulating, the Ministry couldn't prove my parent's allegiance and therefore weren't convicted. As I grew up, my parent's taught me all they were taught. While most children were home-schooled and taught to control their wild magic, my parents shoved me head first into the Dark Arts. They forced me into believing their beliefs and that some day, the Dark Lord would return and when he did, I'd eventually take the dark mark to show my loyalty."

Eir scowls, reaching for her water once more and exposing her mark before continuing. "As it turned out, he did return. That vile man created seven- though he didn't know about the seventh one until it was too late- horcruxes. Horcruxes are objects that contain a piece of one's soul in hopes of returning to solid form when one of his followers performed a ritual. Since my First year at Hogwarts- a wizarding school where they teach us to practice our magic and keep it controlled- Voldemort found a way every year to attack Harry until our Fourth Year when the ritual was completed to return the wizard to his solid form. After my Fourth year of school, that's when everything took a turn for the worse."

As Eir takes a breather, she chances a glance up at the people surrounding her and finds Bruce sheepishly raising his hand. With a feeble smile and nod, Bruce asks what had been on his mind. "You keep mentioning a Ministry. Is it what I'm thinking it is? A government?"

"Yes." Eir nods and there went Agent Hill scribbling in her notes again. "Each country has their own Ministry and set of laws that wizards and witches are forbidden to break. In some places, the laws are more lax, Like America, for example." She tells him. "Here in America, dark magic is okay to practice whereas it's punishable by prison and death in the United Kingdom. That's why Hermione, who's in magical law enforcement, and her friends can't come to the rescue. Should they step foot on American soil and attack or force the deatheaters back across the pond, the Americans will take that as the undermining of their authority and fight back. It really would start a war between our countries."

"Back to this deatheater business." Fury cuts in, waving off the Ministry business for now. "How were you involved and did you kill anyone?"

Steve gapes at the audacity Fury has to ask whether Eir killed anyone, and the moment he decided he was going to argue that she didn't have to answer, she gives him a reassuring grin and faced Fury. "Only twice." She admits while meeting his gaze. "The moment I finished my Second Year at Hogwarts was the first time my parents ever raised their wand to me. Since I am a pure-blood, I was raised to believe muggleborns were the scum of the earth yet the moment I saw my best friend Draco picking on a muggleborn at school, I befriended her. Hermione and I had been friends since we were twelve and not even enduring magical lashings kept me from speaking with her." Eir's too busy focusing on Fury that she doesn't see the eyes widen or notice that Steve scoots his chair a bit closer to her bed so he could lean his forearms on the mattress. "Of course, after seeing what I went through, Draco never tattled to my parents again about who I befriended." She shrugs nonchalantly. "And every summer after that, dark magic was drilled into my brain up until the summer after our Fourth Year when my parents dragged me to deatheater meetings at Draco's home where the Dark Lord took up residence.

We weren't recruited up until we were about to start our Sixth Year. I had been sitting in my room wondering how I could get a letter to Hermione without my parent's knowing when deatheaters rushed into my room and practically kidnapped me. When I woke up, I woke up in grimy cell surrounded by masked deatheaters. Now, I don't know how it is for the men, but initiation is different for the females." Eir takes a moment to pause, breathing out deeply to keep the memories from making her break down in front of everyone. "Voldemort wanted his female deatheaters broken physically so we could take a beating if ever captured- which was preposterous because the Light side didn't torture- and broken mentally so we would do his bidding without question when he sent us on missions."

Eir pauses yet again during her explanation and it's only when she reaches for her water that she realizes she's shaking. Much to Fury's annoyance, Steve reaches forward and grabs Eir's free hand to squeeze her hand in comfort. She squeezes back, offering him a grin. "I wasn't allowed my wand for initiation and had to endure every spell, curse, and hex shot my way. There's one curse- one of the three Unforgivables- called the cruciatus curse that was cast upon me numerous of times. The curse feels like it's exposing every nerve ending in your body and holding a lit match to it. It's only after numerous lashings and cruciatus curses when you learn to bite your tongue to keep from screaming that they'd let up and move on to the last part of initiation. To kill a captured muggleborn or muggle who knew nothing of the magical world."

Steve's hand tightens around Eir's fingers, her voice going monotone. "I couldn't kill the muggleborn though. I didn't believe in what my parents thought and I think on some level they knew that which is why my mother put herself in the cell and volunteered to be one of the deatheaters to torture me. When I kept dropping my wand and crying for the muggleborn, my mother cast the second unforgivable curse on me, the imperious curse." Agent Hill flips the page she was writing on and Eir gives her a moment to get her papers together. "The Imperious curse is designed for the caster to control it's target's actions. The moment she had me under control, she mentally made me raise my wand and kill the innocent being. The deatheaters applauded, none of them realizing I wasn't even myself and moments later, I was branded with  _his_ mark."

"That's one death." Fury notes. "Who was your second?"

This time, tears do well up in Eir's eyes but she doesn't let them fall. Staring Fury straight in his one good eye, she answers him. "My father."

"Talk about family drama." Tony mutters when the silence lingers for nearly a minute.

Eir flashes Tony a brief smile and when she catches Steve's gaze, she sees him waiting for her to continue with a look of sympathy in his eyes. "The first mission Draco and I were ever given was to fix a vanishing cabinet which resided in our school's hidden room. The vanishing cabinet had an identical replica that would let you enter one cabinet and come out the other. After it was fixed, deatheaters were allowed entrance into the school where they eventually took over. Our Headmaster was killed as we watched and then an undercover deatheater had been appointed Headmaster after him. From then on out, Draco and I were pulled from school and hidden away because Harry had seen our involvement. When the war finally came to head, the deatheaters nearly leveled the school. I ran with the deatheaters but I refused to fire any spells at the children I once attended school with, their families, and the Professors that once taught me.

There had been so much death that day and Voldemort called a temporary truce so the Light side could gather their dead while offering Harry a chance to end it all then and there. All he had to do was meet Voldemort at a certain location and surrender his life. Harry accepted and Voldemort thought that he had killed Harry so when he brought Harry's body for the Light side to see, he goaded his triumph and asked for everyone to pledge their loyalty to him. This is when I deflected." Eir pulls free her hand from Steve, sighing before she pushes herself to sit up straighter for this part of the tale. "I felt ashamed of siding with the deatheaters though I had yet to actually kill anyone in the war of my own free will. A brave wizard stepped forward and gave an awe inspiring speech that made me make up my mind and finally choose the side I believed in. When Harry showed that he was still alive and kicking, I threw off my cloak and apparated to Hermione's side. I fought with her, protected her, and protected those on the inside of the school when the war restarted. It was when Mrs. Weasley and Bellatrix were mid duel that I let my guard down to watch. My father had snuck up on me, livid that I would fight against the Dark Lord and put me under the cruciatus curse. When I started screaming, a friend of friend knocked my father off balance and after collecting my wand again, I fired the first spell that was on the tip of my tongue.  _Avada Kedavra_ is the third and final Unforgivable which causes instant death. My mother had seen me strike down my father but as more witches and wizards came to my aide, she knew she'd never win so she fled."

"So that's why you never looked for her." Steve suddenly muses, realization dawning on his face. "Because she wasn't a  _good person_ like you told me when I asked why you weren't looking for."

Eir nods. "Exactly. After the war ended, some deatheaters fled and were never captured as you saw the other day. I'm a traitor in their eyes so the minute they realize who I am and get their hands on me, I'm dead."

Steve frantically shakes his head. "No. Not if we have anything to do about it."

There's a murmur of agreement from Thor and when Eir looks up, she finds Clint and Bruce nodding along with them. "So if you were a deatheater and had the mark to prove it, why didn't you get sent to prison?"

Eir yawns before looking to Fury who seems to be asking everything. "I would've been sent if Hermione hadn't come to my defense and made me offer up every memory swimming around in my head to the Wizengamot- Wizard Judge and Jury. They took every memory, every little tid-bit where I expressed my disgust for the Dark Lord and his beliefs. With my memories came the identities of other deatheaters so they were able to convict others which also pissed off the ones who fled of my participation in locking away their brethren."

"I see." Fury stares at her, going silent as Agent Hill finished writing. "Now I just have a couple more questions before I let you rest." Eir nods, sipping her drink as Fury gathers his thoughts. "A couple weeks back, we were picking up magical signatures within the city limits. Was that you or these deatheaters?"

"Depends." Eir purses her lips in thought. "When did you pick up these signatures?"

"A couple weak signatures were picked up around the time Mr. Rogers said you moved in." He tells her. "The other very strong signature was the night of Thanksgiving."

Eir has the decency to look sheepish as she nods. "Since I've moved here, I've cast glamour charms to hide my mark from view." Her eyes dart down to said mark before she turns her arm over to hide it. "And other times I use the normal beauty charms to make myself presentable whenever I left my apartment."

"Okay." Fury didn't seem too upset with that. "And on Thanksgiving?"

"Protection ward." She answers honestly. "My friend Hermione and her co-workers figured out deatheaters were in America and were steadily moving through all the states and getting closer to New York. Since I pretty much have an axe hanging over my neck, we figured a protection ward around the block of my building would keep those out who specifically wished me harm."

The room falls silent as Fury stares straight ahead at the witch sitting in the hospital bed. She had just confessed her story to him without so much as a fight yet having someone who is capable of such powerful magic out on the streets without supervision didn't sit well with him. He can see the obvious connection between the witch and Mr. Rogers that Agent Romanoff whispered into his ear when they had Ms. Banning in containment so he doesn't think that she would mind being held a little bit longer as long as she had access to her friend.

"While I appreciate you willingly giving us answers, I'm afraid I can't let you leave."

Smiling sadly, Eir shrugs. "I figured. Do I at least get a comfortable bed?"

"Whoa, whoa, hold up!" Tony suddenly flies to his feet. "You're really going to keep her in containment after hearing all she's said?"

"We have to keep her somewhere, Mr. Stark-"

"Then leave her at the Tower with us." He blurts, avoiding the shocked gaze of Steve, Thor's appreciative gaze, and Clint's amused one. "There's no way she's going to be treated like a lab rat with you when she can live comfortably with us at the Tower and maybe even now the Captain will take up my offer and move in too."

Steve scowls at Tony's manipulation but can't argue that having Eir at the Tower instead of containment on the Helicarrier sounded a lot better. "Well," Fury sighs but Tony cuts him off.

"It's settled!" Tony eagerly claps. "She can pick up her belongings when she's feeling better and there'll be a room waiting for her at Avengers Tower."

As Tony digs out his phone to make preparations, Eir mutters her thanks to the billionaire who nonchalantly waves her off.

Fury and Agent Hill wordlessly rise to take their leave but Eir's voice stops them. "Agent Hill, may I have a sheet of paper?" The woman looks shocked at being addressed by the witch but obliges nonetheless. She flinches a little when Eir picks up her wand but watches in masked awe as Eir taps her wand to the paper and a list appears before Eir hands her back the sheet. "This is a list of books that I own from the magical world. Most are school books but they have valuable information that I'm sure you and Director Fury wouldn't mind going over. If you check the ones that pique your interest, I'll mail in an order and have them delivered for you."

Agent Hill, the usually stoic and impassive woman is gaping at Eir's generosity that it's Fury who has to speak for her. "Thank you very much, Ms. Banning. We'll get this back to you as soon as possible." He says as he grabs his second in command by her elbow and leads her out of the room.

Once the door is shut behind the two, Tony and Clint guffaw. "Oh man, you left her speechless!" Clint laughs. "And her face when you offered her more information without being threatened. That's the most expressive I've ever seen her."

Tony agrees but his amusement slowly creeps into something more playful. "Not gonna lie, I'm a bit peeved you offered her all that information and not us. What if we were interested? She and Fury won't ever let us lay eyes on those books now."

"If you were paying attention, Mr. Stark, then you'd have heard when I said that it was a list of the books _I already own_. When I get settled at the tower, you'll have them whenever you want."

And just like that, Tony is a content man once again. "I knew I was going to like you." He leers at her playfully before turning to Steve. "And you, my man, have very good taste."

Steve blushes at his words but as he catches Eir's gaze and her amused smile, he can't help but smile as well. In the midst of his laugh, Eir reaches over and rakes her fingers through his hair, missing the way the other team members grin at her and Steve. Taking her hand back, she moves again in her bed before fluffing up the pillows around her to find a comfortable position.

"Should you be moving so much?" Steve suddenly questions as he sees her grimace when she stretched a little too much to one side.

"Mhm." She hums. "It's you who shouldn't be moving." She locks gazes with him. "Did they take care of your gashes?"

"Yes, ma'am." His lips twitch in amusement. "I'm not healing as fast as I normally do so they had to put in stitches. Its.. uncomfortable but bearable."

"Shame I don't have my potions here. I have a nifty healing potion for that."

"H-healing potion?" Bruce stammers, leaning forward in his chair. "You can make potions?"

Eir nods with a grin. "I can do a lot, Dr. Banner. Just you wait and see."

Thor beams, moving closer to Eir's bed. "I am definitely excited to see how your powers have grown, Lady Eir."

"Yeah, about that," Tony speaks up. "How do you two know each other again?"

Steve and Bruce look interested now, and Eir rolls her eyes. They really were a nosy bunch. As her eyes travel around the room, her gaze soon finds Clint and Natasha who were still leaning against the back wall.

"If you're going to stick around, will you please take a seat?" She gestures to the two vacant chairs. "You're making me nervous standing up and Agent Barton looks like he still has questions for me." Clint doesn't hesitate to take a seat and Natasha merely raises a challenging eyebrow at Eir before sauntering forward and taking a seat next to her partner. "Thank you and as for your question, Mr. Stark, I believe that's Thor's story to tell."

Thor flashes another bright smile, the team holding in their amusement seeing as they don't usually see him smiling this much unless he's in the company of Jane, and Thor tells the story once more. "As Agents Barton and Romanoff know, Loki and I met Eir when she was child, thirteen years old I believe." He smiles fondly at the memory. "When humans started naming their children after Gods and Goddesses, we visited Midgard to see if these children were worthy." At Natasha's disgruntled expression, Thor hurries through his explanation. "But you must remember, this was before I turned my life around. When we heard of a child named Eir, we laughed and joked about a mere mortal being named after the Goddess of Healing. When we met Eir for the first time, it was Loki who sensed her magic."

"And it was Loki who thought he could mess with me while invisible until I blasted him with a spell and sent him flying on his arse." Eir smirks. "He was such a git."

Tony, Bruce, Natasha, and Clint all grin while Thor laughs jovially. "Yes. I remember quite fondly having to stand between my brother and the tiny sorceress as they bantered back and forth."

"It took me a while to realize they were actually Norse Gods," Eir picks back up. "And when I did, I begged and pleaded to be taken to Asgard for an hour since I knew how time passed by slower than it did on Midgard. I had to sacrifice a good night's sleep but it was worth seeing Asgard and easily becoming Lady Frigga's favorite."

"Ah, yes, Mother." Thor chuckles. "She misses you, by the way."

Eir smiles sadly, her mind wandering back to the day that Thor and Loki had caved in to her and took her to their home. She had only spent an hour in the God's realm and she fell in love quite easily. It also helped that Lady Frigga was so motherly to her while her own mother hadn't been.

"I have a question if you're done with reminiscing." Natasha speaks up. When Eir looks at her, Natasha pushes forward. "When you first told us your meeting with Thor and Loki, Thor was talking about how your community is hidden right before our eyes. What did he mean?"

"Exactly as spoken." Eir tells her. "You and I, we're of the same realm; Midgard. My kind has been around for as long as you can trace back humans walking the earth. We used to live in peace with muggles until muggles became afraid of magic and tried to banish us. Witches ad Wizards then led muggles to believe that magic no longer existed but all they did was start communities of magic elsewhere and cast protection wards around said communities to keep them from a muggle's view."

"And how is it that we can't pick up where these communities are hidden with our resources?"

Eir shrugs with a frown. "Magic and technology don't exactly mix well. Never have. If we want to be hidden, we'll be hidden and not even your fanciest machine can find us. There are even times when and if our magic comes into direct contact with your fancy devices, said devices blow their fuse. While we're able to handle such devices, we have to keep our cool in order to keep our magic from running rampart and blowing things up."

Taking the answer she was given, Natasha contently sits back in her chair while Clint leans forward. "So there are good and bad magical beings, correct?" Once again, Eir nods. "If there are good within your kind, why doesn't anyone come forth and help out when the world's being threatened?"

"Because they're afraid of becoming a science experiment." She answers him honestly. "Muggles are afraid of what they don't understand and I'm very lucky that you and your bosses have had dealings with magic before I arrived. Even so I was still locked up when I was brought in. You can't blame them for staying hidden."

Clint huffs but doesn't argue. "We still could have used the help when Loki was running rampant a few years ago."

"We actually saw that on the telly." Eir grins wryly at him. "Though we didn't see Loki's involvement, I did watch you lot kick some alien arse. Another reason for no witches and wizards coming forward could have been that the war we went through was only half a year before your own. How could we help you when we were desperately trying to get back on our own feet and fix the devastation Lord Voldemort left behind?"

"It was that recent?" Steve suddenly mumbles.

Eir turns to him, offering him a sad smile. "Yes. After the war, there were numerous trials for the deatheaters and those who had deflected. I stayed for my trial and Draco's- who was only sentenced to house arrest and limited magic- before I tried to help rebuild our community over the years. The hatred from those who wanted me to be sentenced to Azkaban finally became too much to bear so I moved here for a fresh start. I guess that didn't work that well, huh?"

"Don't worry about that." Steve murmurs, reaching forward to lay his hand on Eir's shoulder. "You're not alone in this anymore. We have your back if or when they come back."

Smiling sadly, Eir locks gaze with him. "Just as I'll have yours."


	12. Chapter 12

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Check my Polyvore for a chapter set :) Don't know the link, click[HERE](http://www.polyvore.com/second_chance_chapter_twelve/set?id=114510641). **

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**Two and half weeks 'til Christmas.**

After the team found out Eir's history with deatheaters and her one time trip to Asgard, Steve made sure his friend spent the rest of the day in bed and had plenty to eat. Eir didn't want any other doctor going in and out of her room with the exception of Bruce, and Steve easily agreed with her on that.

The rest of the team members were in out when Eir was awake, and Fury surprisingly made another appearance to return the list of books that Eir had given to Agent Hill. Unsurprisingly, they wanted a copy of each including the books on potion brewing and dark arts. Eir made him understand that since they were muggles, they wouldn't be able to do anything the books spoke of and Fury reassured her that it was merely study material.

The morning Eir was set to be released to Avengers Tower, Natasha had showed up with Steve with a set of clothes that appeared to be clean and crisp with the S.H.I.E.L.D logo on it. Eir had scowled at the clothing, especially when Natasha told her to make do without knickers but Eir was having none of that. She had asked for her clothing that she had on during the fight even after Natasha told her that they were holey and dirty but Eir fought that she could fix it. When she didn't relent, Natasha retrieved the dirtied and tattered clothing, and watched on in fascination as Eir produced her wand. Right before the Black Widow's eyes, the clothing was cleaned and fixed with a swish and muttered Latin.

Minutes later Eir, Steve, and Natasha had been escorted to the apartment building Eir resided in with instructions to just pick up the necessities.

While the two Avengers had expected the witch to pack up her entire apartment, Eir surprised them by asking Steve to collect her picture frames from the sitting area while she disappeared into her room. Natasha had followed in case the female witch needed help shoving clothes into suitcases and wasn't let down when Eir asked her to do as such.

Majority of Eir's clothing were tossed into two separate suitcases and over half of her shoes were dropped into a messenger bag. Natasha swore she had seen at least ten pairs go into the small messenger bag yet the bag didn't appear bulky or heavy as the witch lifted the strap over her head and laid it across her chest.

When Natasha raised a curious eyebrow, Eir had merely smirked and winked with promises of showing her at the Tower how it was all possible. The moment the two females stepped foot in the sitting area, Steve immediately took Eir's suitcase to carry for her while passing her the picture frames he collected from the room and when he caught Natasha's gaze to take over the suitcase she had, her glare told him all he needed to know. She was more than capable of carrying the suitcase and if he reached for it, it wouldn't end well for him.

After making sure she had everything she needed, and quickly grabbing her magical journal from her kitchen counter and sliding it in her bag, the three of them left the apartment with Eir locking up and were soon on their way to Avengers Tower.

..

..

"Blimey!" Eir cries, fanning herself as she steps off the elevator with Natasha and Steve on either side of her. "It's blistering hot."

Natasha scoffs, shaking her head at the red-faced witch and grins when she notices the witch's freckles are visible. "What are you talking about?" Steve laughs. "There's snow on the ground outside and the heat isn't even turned on in the tower."

Eir wrinkles her nose at Steve before continuing on to the communal living quarters that Natasha and Steve were telling her about on the ride over. Walking forward, the sitting area and kitchen area are separated by a dark marbled bar and chrome bar stools. The entire sitting area is two steps down from the regular flooring, a couch with two single plush chairs are angled towards a built in fire place, and a flat screen telly is mounted on the wall above said fire place. To the right of the room, the kitchen area had a very up to date modern look with every appliance shiny and nearly brand new but the thing that catches Eir's attention is the glass wall that gives the most amazing view of the city below along with it's balcony.

They continue on towards the kitchen area, Steve coming up to the bar and setting down the suitcase at his feet. When Eir sets down her picture frames, she continues to fan herself and look around at the same time while peeling off her pea-coat. "I might have cast a warming charm before we left the Helicarrier." She tells him with a sheepish smile, pulling her wand free from her left boot. "And I might have accidentally added a little more  _oomph_ than necessary." Gripping her wand in one hand and tapping the flesh of her arm with the tip, she sighs in relief as the charm instantly lifts. "Whew. That's better." She smiles in relief, setting her wand down atop the bar before taking a seat.

"Do you want something to drink?" Natasha asks as she nears the refrigerator. "Tony should be here in a few to show you to your room."

"Water's fine." Eir tells her, running her fingers through her hair and quickly plaiting it over her shoulder.

The moment Natasha slides her a bottled water across the bar top and Steve takes a seat on one of the offered stools, Tony strolls in with a leggy strawberry blonde. The new woman's features are very pointed yet feminine looking and the white blouse and fitted pencil skirt give off the vibe of a very professional woman.

Eir smiles politely when the woman finally looks up from the tablet in her hands and earns a genuine smile in return. Tony beams when he realizes the women found each other's gaze and claps loudly. "Ah, Pepper, I want to introduce you to our newest resident Eir Banning. Ex-death-thingy and witch extraordinaire." Pepper rolls her eyes at Tony's introduction, holding out her hand for Eir to shake. "Banning, meet Pepper Potts."

Eir's lips twitch in amusement. "Hullo, Ms. Potts. Pleasure to meet you."

"Please, just call me Pepper." She laughs, waving Eir's pleasantries off. "Sorry about Tony's insincerity, I'm still trying to drill manners into him."

"It's fine." Eir's eyes now spark in amusement as well, immediately taking a liking to this woman. "He only speaks the truth."

"I'm well aware." Pepper grins. "I've been briefed on your story since you're staying here now. Glad to have you aboard."

"Yes, well now that that's out of the way, you must meet Jarvis." Tony's smirks at Eir. "Jarvis, say hello to Ms. Banning."

" _Hullo, Ms. Banning._ " JARVIS' voice filters through the room's hidden speakers, Eir's eyes widening at the accent and gaze darting around looking for the source of said voice.

"Um, hullo?"

Tony snickers at Eir's reaction while Natasha, Pepper, and Steve sigh at his amusement. "JARVIS is my AI- artificial intelligence. If you need anything, call out to JARVIS and ask. He'll make calls or alert anyone in the building you're looking for and even give you directions should you get lost in the tower."

"I see." Eir mumbles, eyes still darting around the room. "That's actually kind of brilliant."

Tony puffs up at her words which only causes Pepper to groan and lean against the bar top with Natasha. "Please never say that again. His ego is big enough."

Steve and Natasha crack matching grins, Eir merely raising a curious eyebrow at Tony's mock wounded expression and Pepper's smug one. "Don't worry, she's allowed wound his pride." Natasha says. "She does run his company for him." She then adds.

"And dates him." Steve murmurs. "Which I don't know how she does it." He then chuckles when Tony mock glares at him in return.

Before Tony can get caught up trading words with his team members, Pepper steps up to the plate. "I'm sure Eir would love to hear you three drone on and on but I'm pretty sure she'd like to get settled in and speaking of." She then gives Eir her full attention. "Tony and I were going to give you your own floor complete with your own living room, bedroom, kitchen, and private bathroom but we weren't sure if you were going to be a permanent resident."

"M-my own floor?"

"Mhm." Pepper smiles. "We were going to give Steve his own floor as well but he is adamant about returning to his apartment building after the threat's have been eliminated."

"Oh." Eir breaths out. "I-I'd prefer that as well." She admitts. "I just painted my apartment and got it the way I like it. I wouldn't want leave that place for good."

"Which is why you and Steve have rooms on the floor below this one." Pepper assures her. "Your rooms will be side-by-side and you both have private bathrooms. This kitchen and living room is available at all times to you."

"T-thank you." Eir stammers. "Really, thank you both." She peers over at Tony to make sure he sees the gratitude within her eyes.

And it appears he does so when his own eyes soften for a brief moment. "Not a problem. Just glad you're on our side and giving up all the details necessary to eliminate the threat." Steve and Natasha nod along in agreement as Tony's gaze wanders to what Eir brought with her. Slowly, his grin morphs into a frown. "Is that seriously all you've brought? You can't have everything you need in two suitcases and a purse."

"That's what I've been wondering." Natasha chimes in. "The messenger bag isn't exactly normal though, is it? I saw numerous pairs of shoes get dropped in yet the bag is as light as can be and not even bulky."

Eir smirks as Steve and Tony's gaze fall down to the bag at her feet. Before Eir can pick it up, Tony is already there and picking up said bag with a frown and testing it's weight. "There's no way shoes are in here."

Pepper laughs before scolding Tony about abusing Eir's privacy as he immediately opens the flap and starts to look around. "You must be losing your mind," he looks up at Natasha. "There are no shoes in here."

"That's because I have secret pockets spelled with extendable charms and weightless charms." Eir tells Tony while Natasha glares at him. "Here, this a look at your first magical item." Her grin melts into a full blown smile as Tony pouts at the normal looking journal that Eir has tossed in front of him.

"Gee." Tony deadpans. "This is spiffy!"

Pepper comes to Tony's side, smacking his bicep at the sarcasm in his voice as Natasha comes around the bar top, sitting closer to Eir who rolls her eyes. "Anyone have a pen?" With a scoff from Tony, he produces a pen from somewhere on his person and jands it to the witch. Opening the journal to a random sheet of paper, she pens a quick note. "I'm technically not breaking any rules," she pointedly casts a look at Natasha. "-since she knows I'm working with the Avengers, and since Tony came clean about being Iron Man there's no need for Fury to be angry with me." Natasha shrugs, not really caring since the witch did have a point.

Each person surrounding her watches as she writes out  _Tony Stark says hi_ and before anyone can ask what she's doing, the journal faintly glows before the words disappear and new ones scribble themselves across the page.

_Is he as arrogant as the telly and reporters say?_

"Hey!" Tony pouts while the others chuckle and look at the journal in a new light. "I take offense to that."

Steve laughs, scooting closer to Eir as Tony pushes him closer to get a look at the journal. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll tell her you're decent and have a wicked sense of humor." At Tony's nod and Pepper's amused shake of her head, Eir writes exactly what she told him she would before telling Hermione she'd speak with her later. "This journal was made by Hermione." She goes on to explain the journal as she closes it and slides it to Tony and Pepper to examine. "When I moved across the ocean, we needed a way to communicate since we didn't own or use phones." She shrugs. "Magical writing seemed like a good idea. It only has one sister journal and when it glows, it's letting you know there's a message waiting for you. After reading it, the message disappears so there's never any proof anything had been written in the first place."

"That's actually kind of amazing." Steve mutters, reaching for the journal to flip through it. "I bet you something like this can come in handy when we're out on missions and can't use our communicators."

Natasha perks up at that idea and Eir smirks. "I'll look into have several journals made for the team."

"Yes!" Tony cheers. "While that's a neat trick, I still didn't see any shoes in that bag of yours, young lady."

Eir huffs, moving to stand and dragging her messenger bag with her. "Just.. listen." She says as she grips the strap of her bag. "There's a whole lot more than shoes." And with a violent jiggle of her bag, the sounds of clinking glasses and slight thumping of hardback books could be heard. At the room's occupants bewildered expressions, Eir sheepishly grins. "Everything I own that's magical is inside. My books, potion ingredients, cauldron, broom, vials.."

"Bullshit." Tony blurts. "There's no way all that fit in there."

Everyone is eyeing the bag curiously as Eir sighs and opens the flap once more, pursing her lips in contemplation before her hand disappears inside. After a moment, Eir huffs again and her arm disappears further into the bag up to her elbow. And when she still can't reach what she was looking for, her entire arm up to her shoulder has disappeared inside.

"Okay." Pepper breathes out in awe. "My purse definitely needs a charm like that."

Eir winks at the woman who was staring at her bag in an entirely new light before she really reaches even further into her bag, a look of concentration on her face as her fingers skim along the section where her books reside. After another moment, growling suddenly comes from Eir's bag which causes Steve, Tony, and Natasha to take a step back away and cringe when Eir suddenly yelps. "Ow. Bugger it all." She groans as she pulls her arm free, her injured finger in her mouth. "Don't know why I bother carrying that book around." She mutters begrudgingly.

"What book?" Tony's amusement and curiosity win out as he scoots closer once more.

"The Monster Book of Monsters. Ruddy thing bit me." Eir mutters her answer before sighing and looking up, her eyes landing on her wand. "Can you pass me my wand, please?"

"It bit you?" Since Natasha is closer to Eir's wand, the redhead grabs the wand and hands it over to the witch.

"Mhm. Don't know why a book like this was ever created." Setting her opened bag on the floor, Eir points her wand at it. " _Accio_  book of monsters." Quickly tossing her wand back to the redhead, they watch as she readies her hands to catch something before a rather large and growling book lifts into the air and zooms straight to her awaiting hands.

"What the hell is that?!" Tony squawks as the book continues to growl, four beady black eyes blinking angrily as fury little tendrils wiggle in place.

"The books of monsters." Eir laughs at everyone's uneasy expression. "Every monster that ever lived is recorded in here. You just have to calm him down before you open him up because he'll start snapping and biting, and it's just a pain in the arse." She sighs and sets the book atop the bar where it starts moving.

Steve, Tony, Pepper, and Natasha all move away from the bar top and crowd Eir once more. "Well, while all this is fascinating, I really need to go." Pepper tells them even as she still casts wary glances over her shoulder at the book. "I have a new secretary to train and she should be getting here in a few minutes."

"Secretary?" Tony asks. "What do you need one for? You've always ran the company fine by yourself."

"Yes, well, since this deatheater fiasco you've been busy with, I've had no help with the company." She sighs before remembering she's holding her tablet and starts tapping away on it. "The secretary is just temporary to help me stay atop of everything until this new threat is gone and you can help me once more."

Tony seems disgruntled over the news of Pepper hiring someone new but the moment he hears the words  _mythical creatures_ and  _dragons,_ a look of pure awe passes over his face and with a quick laugh and peck to the lips from Pepper, he was soon all over that new book.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

Two days had passed with Eir getting to know her surroundings in Avengers Tower. It was a bit weird waking up only to sleepily stumble into an elevator and then onto the communal floor to find Steve already there. He had grinned and chuckled at Eir's sleep mused hair only to have Eir sock him on the shoulder before taking a seat next to him and leaning on him before briefly falling asleep as someone served her a cup of coffee.

And in the two days that they spent living side-by-side, the air between them seemed to shift which led them always sitting next to one another so they were always slightly touching. When the rest of the team found out about Eir having her books as well as other magical items, the team wanted to see and hear about what each item entailed. Of course, Eir was wary about letting her books out of sight so Thor, Bruce, Tony, Steve, Clint, and Natasha now found themselves visiting the communal living room more frequently and reading a book each while asking questions when given the chance.

The team found it highly amusing as Thor tackled to tame the Monster Book of Monsters and snickered quite frequently when the book bit him.

During the second day, Tony and Bruce then became interested in potions and it's ingredients. It was like Christmas came early for Tony when Eir told him a potion for hangovers existed but when she started listing off it's ingredients, he nearly blanched and asked her to never tell him what ingredients existed in other potions because he might have to drink one in the near future. Eir had laughed, told him that she wasn't sure he'd be able to since his body relied on the reactor in his chest, and reminded him about how magic and technology reacted to one another.

Tony had waved her off and came clean that he'd been tinkering with his suit and realized that after the deatheater attack, his reactor seemed to absorb the magic and doesn't seem to be affected by it anymore. Eir seemed skeptical but when Tony told her to experiment on him, she eagerly pulled out her wand and smirked rather coyly in his direction. With a discrete wave, Tony huffed and puffed about not being a patient person but was brought out of his rant when his team members slowly started to laugh at him.

The team refused to tell Tony what they were laughing at, Eir going as far as putting Steve between her and Tony so Tony didn't try to mess with her. It was only when Pepper came in, her heels clicking loudly against the marbled floor while mouthing off at Tony about his missed meeting when she paused mid-rant and started to laugh that Tony knew something was really going on. Pepper had doubled over in laughter before walking up to the team strewn about the living room and beamed at Eir.

When Tony locked down the floor and refused to let anyone leave unless they gave him answers, Clint was the one who told him to look in a mirror.

Needless to say, Tony did not appreciate his vibrant turquoise colored hair.

..

..

Night had fallen and after the day's activities of decorating the communal living space, the entire Avengers team plus Pepper found themselves in the living room relaxing. So far, there had been no magical signatures caught on radar and the deatheaters seemed to have been keeping a low profile. But since no magic appeared in any other state, it led everyone to believe that the deatheaters stuck around so security had been tight and the team plus Eir had been forbidden to leave the tower.

Earlier that morning, Eir had stumbled into the kitchen from the elevator only to find Pepper fluttering around the living room in a comfy beige sweater, jean shorts, and barefoot with Christmas decorations and tree strewn about the room. When asked if she needed help, Pepper took her up on her offer and Eir quickly made her way back to her room to change into a similar black and gray striped sweater, a pair of stretch black shorts, and a pair of white socks.

When Eir had made her way back into the living room, Pepper was found muttering beneath her breath as she tried to figure out just what went where and how she was going to be able to get the festive lights and garland exactly where she wanted it. Eir had merely grinned, whistling to catch Pepper's attention just as her wand slipped from her sleeve and into her hand.

Pepper's radiant and relieved smile when remembering Eir was a witch was nearly laughable. From that moment on, Eir levitated icicle light strings and festive garland to hang from corner to corner of the room while using a sticking charm to keep them temporarily in place. The bar-top in the kitchen was lined with multi-colored lights as well as garland, and after that had been put in place, the two women got to work on placing the Christmas tree exactly in the right place by the window.

When Eir and Pepper had decided to drape the tree by hand with the various Christmas ornaments, the team had slowly trickled in one-by-one which then led Pepper to making sure each team member personally hung one ornament from the tree's limbs.

Natasha had ordered them lunch via JARVIS and when they had taken a quick break to eat, the team realized that something was missing from the decorations. Tony coyly suggested mistletoe but Thor, Eir, and Bruce immediately vetoed that idea. Tony had pouted which then led Clint to suggest something to hang or color the bland ceiling. As everyone peered up, Eir's wand yet again slid into her hand and with a reassuring nod from Pepper, Eir changed several of the light fixtures to slowly change through the colors of the rainbow.

Tony and Clint each hummed out  _better but not yet there_ and with sudden determination, Eir had stood up from her stool and walked around the space. Tapping her wand against her leg, an idea immediately came to mind and with a wordless swish and flick, snow started to magically fall from the ceiling.

Pepper was immediately amazed as well as the rest of the team and stood to go stand by Eir. The snow collected briefly on the branches of the tree but it never piled on and seemed to disappear when it became too much only to start collecting all over again. Tony suddenly made a fuss about there being water damage but when Eir told him to actually try and catch it, the snow disappeared before it touched his person or any other surface besides the tree.

And now that night had fallen and the team was relaxing in the living room on content stomachs- some worked while others enjoyed the time together without being called away.

Bruce, Natasha, and Clint were all seated on the long couch with the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in Natasha's lap. Bruce had been entranced by the idea of Unicorns actually existing, Natasha was immediately enthralled by the passage and picture of Thestrals, and Clint was utterly fascinated by Hippogriffs.

Tony and Thor had taken up the single plush sofa chairs on either side of the couch while Steve, Eir and Pepper sat on the charmed cushioned floor. The men were busy watching a documentary about Classic Rock that Tony insisted would educate them while Pepper and Eir worked. While Pepper had paperwork to sign for Stark Industries, Eir was busy taking inventory of her potion ingredients and making a list of what she needed so she could really stock up on the potions that would help the team in the field.

A commercial pops up on TV thus ending Tony's quiet streak. Eyes wandering down to Pepper who's seated on the floor in front of him, he leans forward in his seat and peers over her shoulder.

"I thought you hired a secretary for this type of work?"

"I did." Pepper mumbles without missing a beat. "But these papers need my signature, not hers."

"I see. And how is this secretary working out for you?"

Pepper sighs, laying down her clipboard before stretching a bit and shrugging. "I think I'm starting to regret hiring her."

Eir pauses mid-inventory, glancing up at the woman who she thought wouldn't have a regret in her life because she came off as too nice. Interest now piqued, she listens on Pepper tells Tony that the only reason for hiring  _Samantha_ was because the college graduate was upbeat and bubbly yet professional. She knew how to stay positive even after the amount of paperwork Pepper showed her during training yet now, she was a completely different person. Apparently, now Samantha seemed a bit annoyed with everything worked related and made scowling faces when she was faced with work or other co-workers.

Pepper noticed the girl seemed subdued and easily agitated, and she didn't know if hiring her was the right decision.

"It's probably her time of the month." Tony excuses her, taking a sip of his Scotch as his documentary came back on.

Pepper, Eir, and Natasha all freeze- each female maneuvering so Tony was in their line of sight and narrow their eyes dangerously on him. Bruce and Steve groan at Tony's choice of works while Clint snickers at the man's misfortune. When Tony realizes he's being glared at by the females in the room, he slowly smirks and shrugs.

"What?" He feigns innocence. "It's possible. You females completely transform into another person. I'm only stating facts."

The women let it slide for the time being, each of them going back to what they were doing in the first place. It's moments later when Clint gets bored of sharing a book with Natasha and Bruce that he stands up to retrieve a new book from the shelves.

With Eir's copy of Advanced Potion Making, Clint flips through the pages until he comes across a potion that catches his attention; the polyjuice potion.

"You can turn yourself into a duplicate of someone else with just a strand of their hair?"

"Hmm?" Eir hums, pausing once more in her inventory to look up at Clint. "What was that?"

"This polyjuice potion." He repeats, turning the book to face her while also gaining everyone's attention. "It's really that simple to take on someone else's identity?"

"Oh, yeah." She nods. "Though the potion takes a month to make and you have to be very precise about how you stir and add in the ingredients exactly when they're needed and not a second later."

"Wow. That can co-"

"Come in handy?" Eir guesses with a grin. "It can but the transformation is a bit painful. I wouldn't recommend it and the effects only last twelve hours at the most."

"Still." Tony pipes up. "That's pretty awesome. You can turn yourself into someone else with a potion while us mere humans spend thousands of dollars on plastic surgery." He shakes his head in utter amazement before an idea pops into his head. "Hey, if you can turn into another person, can you turn into an animal?"

Eir grins at his childlike enthusiasm and shrugs. "With the polyjuice, it's not recommended but you can practice to turn into an animagus. Which I just so happen to also be." She smirks smugly at Stark.

"And what the hell is an animagus?"

Noticing that she had fully captured everyone's attention, Eir sits up just a little bit straighter. "An animagus is a witch or wizard who can morph into an animal at will. It takes a couple of years to study and hone in your magic so the transformation doesn't backfire on you. Not everyone can do it and if you do, there's only one animal you're allowed to turn into. It usually reflects what your patronus is but mine turned out different."

"Yeah." Tony muses. "Well let's see it then? You're a cat, aren't you? I bet you're a cat."

"No way." Clint shakes his head. "She's more of a lioness. There's no way she's a house cat."

Eir chuckles at Tony and Clint as they banter back and forth about what animal she could turn herself into. When she catches Steve's gaze, he merely raises a challenging eyebrow at her. With a shrug and wink, Eir tells everyone to sit tight and not peek as she crawls her way behind the couch.

Once in position, Eir stands on her knees to make sure Clint isn't trying to peek behind the sofa and when she's satisfied that Natasha made sure he's fully seated, she falls onto all fours and reappears at the other end of the couch in her animagus form.

In place of the witch they'd gotten to know is a beautiful white wolf.

Everyone seems to freeze, half of them staring in shock while others stare in awe as she pads around Tony's chair and comes to a stop in front of everyone. Her white fur is quite fluffy, ears pointed and alert, and her tail slightly wags from side to side waiting for someone to say something.

"Can we speak or do you think she'll attack?" Clint mutters softly as he tries not move. "She's a wild animal now so does that mean she doesn't recognize us?"

Eir sits on back on her haunches, head tilting to the side at his words while Natasha elbows her partner. "She wouldn't have transformed and put us in danger like that." And since Eir can't speak, the most she can do is sniff rather loudly and stand up on all fours to wag her tail happily.

When Natasha smiles, Eir figures she got the message that she had been correct. "Marvelous!" Thor suddenly booms. "Lady Eir is not only beautiful in her mortal form but her animal form as well. She truly is a powerful sorceress." Eir wants to laugh at her friend's words so badly that in animal form, it comes out as more of a snort. When Thor scoots to the edge of his seat, Eir trots up to him and lets him run his fingers through her fur around her neck. "Truly marvelous." He marvels down at her. "Mother would be most proud to see how powerful you've grown."

As Thor continues to marvel at Eir's animal form, Tony suddenly starts to cackle in glee. Eir pays him no mind but the rest of them are suddenly wondering what has the billionaire on the verge of tears as he points at Eir's wolf form. "She's a wolf. A goddamn  _wolf_! I'm so getting her a collar." Upon hearing Tony's words, Eir suddenly whirls around and stands her ground, baring her teeth at Tony as she growls in warning. Seeing the threat Eir now poses, Tony lets his laughter trail off as he holds his hands up in surrender. "So that's a no to the collar idea?"

This time, it's Clint and Natasha who break off into peals of laughter at Tony's antics and Eir's reaction. As the rest of the group start to break off into laughter with them, Eir notices that Steve still seems tense and wary of her new form.

Ears lowering to lay flat against her head and tail tucked between her legs, Eir whimpers and pads slowly up to Steve. The group quiets at the sound of Eir's distress but smile fondly as they realize she's trying to get Steve to lighten up around her in wolf form. When he doesn't reach up to pet her, she pads closer and headbutts his cheek.

"Aw, come on, Cap." Tony smirks. "She means no harm. She only wants you to pet her."

Instead of snapping at Tony because she swore there was a double meaning to Stark's words, Eir continues to whimper until Steve reluctantly reaches up and scratches behind her ear. She leans further into his touch, encouraging him to loosen up and when Steve finally reaches up with his other hand as well, her tail starts to wag in glee.

"You know, Fury's gonna wanna know that you can do this." Natasha suddenly speaks up. "He's gonna wanna know everything you're capable of."

Eir huffs, moving out of Steve's touch only to sit on her haunches at his side. With an obvious shake of her head at Natasha's words, Eir completely lays down on her stomach and lays her head on her paws.

She'd tell Fury whatever he wanted to know but for now, she was going to spend time with Steve and his friends. And staying in animal form, well, being stubborn for a while was sure to buy her some time from Natasha's need to tell Fury what was going on.


	13. Chapter 13

Eir is in the in-between of wake and sleep, snuggled warmly under her covers when she hears the knock on her door. In her short time of staying at the tower, no-one had ever made an effort to seek her out in her room, choosing instead to wait for her to come to the communal living space on her own. So hearing a knock at her door came as quite the surprise.

" _Good morning, ma'am."_ JARVIS' disembodied voice fills the quiet of her room.  _"It appears Mr. Rogers is waiting for you on the other side of your door."_

Eir stretches like a lazy cat beneath her covers, yawning away before stretching once more and curling up on her side. "Morning, Jarvis." She mumbles. "You can let him in."

The echo of her lock clicking open brings a faint smile to her lips, Tony's genius invention never ceasing to amaze her. Some muggles really did have brilliant minds and Tony Stark just so happened to be one of those minds though she'd never tell him that to his face.

Several seconds later, the door to her room slowly opens and Steve sticks his head in through the gap. "Up and at 'em, Sleepy Beauty." He coos softly. "You're needed one level up."

" _Why?_ " Eir groans, sliding her blanket further up to cover her head. "I'm sleeping. Tell 'em to bugger off."

Steve chuckles, creeping further into Eir's domain while shutting the door behind him. "It's going on 10A. Everyone's been up for a while."

Eir grumbles some more, sighing rather loudly and throwing her covers off only to reveal a plaid pajama button up and plaid bottoms. "Merlin's beard, you're Avengers! Can't you take care of your own problems?" Steve chuckles some more, moving even closer as he boldly takes a seat next to Eir on her bed. With confidence that Eir rarely saw from him, Steve places an arm around her shoulders and much to her surprise, she doesn't second guess herself as she snuggles into his inside. Humming in content, Eir lets her eyes slide shut. "I miss this, you know? Just the two of us hanging out and you bribing me with Colas to sit on the steps outside."

Steve smiles fondly at the memories, leaning his cheek against the top of her head. "Yeah, me too. After everything's done with, I promise I'll start back up with the bribery."

Eir snorts, her form shaking with silent laughter and Steve grins broadly at her reaction.

" _Sir, if I may interrupt,"_ JARVIS suddenly speaks up.  _"It seems that Agent Barton is voicing his opinion about impaling the owl outside with one of his arrows."_

Steve groans and when the words suddenly click together in Eir's mind, her eyes snap open. "No! Jarvis, stall him!"

" _As you wish."_

Eir immediately leaps into action, swiping her wand from the bedside table as she rushes into her bathroom only to come out seconds later with her hair magically in place and presentable in a low hanging ponytail. "Come on!" Eir squawks at Steve, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him behind her. "Let's go keep Clint from killing someone's pet."

Steve follows obediently, shaking his head in amusement. He had a feeling Eir would continue to surprise himself and his teammates in the weeks, if not months, to come.

By the time they make it to the communal floor, Clint is arguing with JARVIS to open up the locks so he can take care of the eerie owl that's staring threateningly at him. Natasha is stoic as ever, watching the bird curiously but when she sees Eir's relieved and fond expression at seeing the bird, she goes back to sipping her juice and eating her late breakfast that Steve had cooked for them.

Eir happily skips forward, whacking Clint on the back for even thinking about skewering the owl, and slides open the balcony doors for the very familiar Verreaux's Eagle Owl. "What are you doing that for?!" Clint yelps. "That thing could be carrying rabies!"

Natasha snorts at Clint's statement, hiding her smile behind her glass of juice as Eir rolls her eyes. The owl hoots in offense, fluffing up it's wings, and hops inside. "Sphinx takes great offense to that." Eir mutters, bending down and picking up the package the owl didn't bother bringing in.

"Sphinx?" Clint asks incredulously. "Don't tell me that  _thing_ is someone's pet?!"

Once again, Sphinx hoots in offense and Eir fights off a grin. "He understands you, you know? And yes, he is a pet. Draco's pet to be exact." She says as she takes the package to the bar and takes a seat next to the redheaded assassin while also laying her wand down. "Witches and wizards have used owls to mail letters and packages for as long as we've been around. They're really rather smart and Sphinx is one of the best." The owl hoots appreciatively now, leaving Clint gaping and Steve chuckling as Eir winks at Natasha. "Hey, Natasha, would you mind breaking off a piece of toast for him? He's expecting payment." Natasha blinks once then twice before obliging, tearing off a piece of toast and holding it out for the owl. He happily hops on over, gobbling up the toasted bread before nipping her fingers adoringly. "That's his way of saying  _thanks._ " Eir quickly explains.

When Sphinx flies up to perch atop the refrigerator, Eir realizes that once again she is to hold on to Sphinx to get his rest.

Clearing his throat, Steve gestures towards the package. "What did your friend send you?"

Eir shrugs, not knowing what Draco would send her since she hadn't heard from in a while but there's a note attached to the package so she quickly picks it up. "Let's read and find out." She quickly tears into the note, summarizing most of it before she reads it aloud. " _Eir, what did I tell you about sending Granger to my home- blah, blah, blah. Heard deatheaters found you- don't die. Here's your bloody pensieve that took Granger a day and half to locate in your home because you don't know how to organize- blah, blah, blah._ Oh _and take care of Sphinx for a day or two before sending him home._ "

With a bright smile, Eir quickly tears into the packaging while hollering up to Sphinx to make himself at home. When she finally has the package open, she gently pulls out a chrome disk before taking a few steps to the side and letting it expand mid-air. When it reaches it's full size and liquid pools in the indentation, Clint snorts.

"A magic bowl. Really?"

"A pensieve." Eir corrects him with a grin. "This is what we use to view one's memories. We can pull out our memories, drop them in the water, and then people can just  _drop in._ "

Steve, Clint, and Natasha look at the pensieve in a new light, each person getting closer to it. "Is it dangerous?" Natasha asks.

Eir shakes her head. "Nope. There's no possible way to get injured in a memory. Once you're inside, it feels like minutes or even hours- depends on how many memories you're watching at one time- but out here, it'll only be a few seconds to those sitting around." As the three continue to eye the pensieve, Eir grins. "I can show you if you'd like. I have some decent memories that I wouldn't mind others viewing."

The three Avengers share wary looks as Eir laughs. When Clint shrugs, Eir happily picks up her wand from the bar top and takes her place by the pensieve once more where the other three are gathered around. Placing the tip of her wand to her temple, Eir locks eyes with each of her friends. "I'm not focusing on every detail so you won't hear the words clearly about what's going." As she pulls her wand away, the ethereal wisp of a memory is attached to the tip. "But I'll explain what's going on in the first memory so no worries." She drops the first memory in the water and the Avengers watch as the memory floats about in the water. After a few more seconds, the second memory is placed in. "Alright," Eir chuckles at their expressions. "-all you have to do is dip a finger in. It'll feel like you're free falling for a few seconds but it'll be okay. Are you all ready?" Again, Clint shrugs though this time he's sporting an eager smile. With Natasha and Steve's nod, Eir gestures to the pensieve. "Let's dip in then, yeah?"

And without having to be told again, all four slip into Eir's first memory.

* * *

_Eir lands in the perfect crouch, the tips of her fingers of her left hand brushing the grassy land beneath her as she holds herself steady. Hearing two identical grunts, Eir cocks her head to the side only to find Steve and Clint scowling at her, and Natasha standing proud and tall with a smirk adorning her features._

" _I thought you said we couldn't get hurt." Clint mutters, groaning as he picks himself up and brushes off the back of his jeans._

_Eir shrugs as she holds a hand out for Steve to get up though he doesn't actually need the help. "So I forgot about the landing. Now nothing else can hurt you. It's all just a memory."_

_Clint continues to mumble as Steve and Natasha actually take a moment to look around them. They are standing just on the inside of some forest in a circular clearing, and a rather small group of kids in school uniforms- were those robes?- hanging off their small frames as they stared ahead._

" _Uh, where exactly are we?" Steve asks as he and Natasha continue to study their surroundings._

_Eir grins proudly, letting go of Steve's hand as she takes a couple steps forward. "We're just on the edge of the school grounds." She tells them. "If you look over your shoulder, you'll see Hogwarts- the school I attended." The three Avengers take that moment to look where Eir gestured to, their mouths dropping open in shock at the enormous castle off in the distance as well as the forest that surrounded it and the rolling green hills. "You're able to see the castle right now because it's my memory but if you were to fly over Scotland to search for the school yourself, all you would find would be ruins and signs of danger." At the three incredulous looks of curiosity, Eir goes on to explain. "Muggles aren't allowed on school grounds unless they're granted a free pass."_

" _Right." Clint drawls, peering at the castle one last time before turning back to Eir. "So why are we here? What's so great about this memory?"_

_Eir smiles once more, turning towards the group of kids and tells them to follow. "This is my Third Year at Hogwarts and this was my Care of Magical Creatures class. This memory is actually for you, Clint."_

" _Me?"_

" _Mhm." Eir hums as she stops them off to the side of the group so they could see the front line of students. "You see, our teacher Hagrid- that half giant over there with the bushy hair and beard- he had an affinity for monsters so what he is about to show us, well the Council was against it but our Headmaster still approved it."_

_Clint nods along, glancing at said half giant before peering around his surroundings, eager to see what Eir wanted to show him since this was a magical creatures class. "Wait." Natasha speaks up. "If this is your memory, you should be somewhere around here, correct?"_

_Eir's nose scrunches up playfully, chuckling as she nods and points to the far side of the group of kids. "You see that boy with the near white hair? I'm the one with the-"_

" _Ponytail?" Steve suddenly muses. "You actually look quite the same, though you don't look as-"_

" _Haunted?" Eir throws in with a sad smile. "Yeah, I know. I was only ever happy when at school where my parents didn't have direct access to me."_

_Natasha side-eyes the girl, face stoic as she gazes forward and sees exactly why this memory was for her partner Clint. The half giant had wandered further away from the students, coming back with a rope of dead ferrets hanging from around his neck and a hippogriff following him._

_When the hippogriff starts to clean it's wings with it's beak and Clint had yet to make a comment of awe, Natasha elbows him sharply in the ribs to gain his attention and nods forward. As Clint rubs his sore side and looks to see what Natasha is staring at, his mouth falls open and a sharp intake of breath sounds from Steve._

" _Is that- is that what I think it is?"_

_Eir smiles at Clint's awestruck expression, winking at Natasha who's smiling fondly at the witch who made it possible for Clint to see this. "Mhm. That right there is Buckbeak." She gestures towards the creature. When the group of kids suddenly take several steps back in slight fear sans one student, Steve asks what was going on. "Hagrid asked for a volunteer." She answers as she watches the memory play out. "Hippogriffs are very proud creatures. When approaching a hippogriff, you must do so without offending it and make continuous eye contact. You have to bow before it and if it bows back, you're allowed to pet it. If not, well then you best get your arse out of there because it'll attack and use to nifty talons it has."_

_They watch as a boy with orange hair pushes the dark haired boy forward, Eir snorting as she shakes her head fondly at the scene. The hippogriff fluffs out it's wings, taking in it's surroundings as the boy cautiously steps forward and bows. The hippogriff watches him warily, squawking and flapping it's wings causing the boy to take a step back still in bow._

_The hippogriff continues to stare before finally taking one step forward and bowing it's head._

" _He did it." Clint breathes in childlike awe. "He actually did it."_

" _Yep." Eir pops the 'p'. "Keep watching though."_

_The three avengers do as told, watching as the boy warily steps forward with his hand outstretched and finally pets the hippogriff. Both parties seem content until the half giant suddenly picks up the boy and places him on the hippogriffs back._

" _He didn't." Clint gapes._

" _He did." Eir laughs as Hagrid slaps the hippogriff on it's bum, sending it off in a sprint passed them before it spread it's wings and took flight. Smiling at the hippogriff taking flight, Eir lets herself watch the memory fondly before her smile turns sad. "This was the first and last time we saw Buckbeak. When they come back, Draco thinks that everything Hagrid told us was a lie so he struts up to the hippogriff without bowing."_

" _Draco?" Steve murmurs, turning back to look at the blonde that was standing next to Eir's memory!self. "That's why he looks so familiar."_

" _Yeah." Eir gulps. "That's him. The annoying little prat offends Buckbeak and Buckbeak uses his talons. Draco's father then tries having the hippogriff executed but Buckbeak escapes." She shrugs as if it's no big deal._

_They watch as the hippogriff comes back but the environment around them starts to fade and swirl into something new._

" _What's happening?" Steve asks, moving closer to Eir so they're practically touching._

" _It's switching to the second memory now. This won't last long since there's no talking and, well, since Clint saw the creature that he was most fascinated by, I figured it was only fair Natasha see hers."_

_Natasha whirls around, eyes wide and Eir can't help but smile. This time, it's Clint smiling fondly at Eir for doing something for his partner._

_As the once bright surroundings of the forest turn dark, Eir gestures to the scene that's behind Natasha and Clint. The group seems to pair off, Natasha with Clint and Eir with Steve as they move forward to get a better look. Young Eir stands in between them, a black cloak wrapped around her shoulders and hood shadowing her face. In her hand, she holds a basket while using her other hand to pull something out and toss it on the ground before her._

" _What are tossing? Meat?" Natasha asks, her gaze flickering around the place to spot a thestral._

" _Mhm. They prefer to eat raw meat." Eir tells her just as a thestral foal cautiously steps forward to gobble down a piece of meat. It's pure white eyes blink up at memory!Eir, it's small leathery wings flapping a bit as it cautiously walks even closer. It's body's coat is so slick and clings to every bone that it's bone structure is easily identifiable. "Look. Here comes it's mother."_

_A more larger thestral steps forward, it's nose to the ground as it sniffs out the meat memory!Eir had tossed out. "Are these dangerous?" Steve fidgets in place, tempted to put himself between Eir and the thestral before Eir reminds him that they're in a memory._

" _No." Natasha answers for Eir. "I read that they can be quite tame and will even offer rides to witches and wizards. Am I correct?"_

" _Indeed." Eir nods approvingly. "It's quite the sight for someone who can't see them though. Since thestrals are only viewable by those who have witnessed death, a rider who has not witnessed death appears to be riding nothing but air."_

_Eir lets Natasha and Clint move forward, telling them that they wouldn't be able to touch but they could get a closer look if they had wanted. They keep walking until they're nearly side-by-side with the creatures and while Steve is just as fascinated, he chooses to stay by Eir's side. After a few more moments, the memory starts to blur and swirl._

* * *

"Now that.. was awesome!" Clint blurts the moment the four find themselves back in Avengers Tower with Sphinx hooting at them and welcoming them back.

The remaining three chuckle at Clint's enthusiasm and Natasha can't help but agree. "Yes, thank you. It's amazing what your kind is capable of."

"It's no problem, really." Eir smiles at her. "It's just too bad I've never seen a unicorn. I bet Bruce would've liked that." The four suddenly laugh, thinking of Bruce and his fascination with the unicorns. Out of all the creatures, it just so happened that unicorns fascinated him the most. "Now when you talk to your Director, you may tell him that I have a pensieve."

"Why would Fury care for this object?" Steve wonders.

"Because I don't think he trusts me." Eir shrugs nonchalantly. "Everyone here at the tower easily took yours and Thor's words about me but it seems Fury will need a bit more convincing." She smiles feebly. "If he wants, he can take a look at the memories of my past."

Natasha nods once, going back to her stool she first started out on when the elevator door pings open. When Pepper's familiar voice reaches their ears, the group relaxes but then the second set of heels clicking against the floor make them freeze once more. Eyes dart frantically back and forth before Eir remembers that the pensieve is floating  _mid-air._

The second Pepper and her guest come into view, Eir reaches up and grips the pensieve in both hands to make it seem like she was carrying it and that it was not floating by magic. There's a young female by Pepper's side gazing about curiously, her blonde hair cut short in a bob that reaches just below her chin. Features seem almost aristocratic, very pointed and angular but with kind doe green eyes. Very little makeup mars the girl's face and even though they immediately know this is Pepper's college graduate secretary, the dark pin-striped skirt and white blouse make her seem a little bit older.

At everyone's strained yet amused expressions, Pepper falters in her steps and eyes them all curiously. "What's going on here?"

"N-nothing." Steve stammers at the same time Sphinx hoots from his perch atop the refrigerator.

Pepper and her secretary turn around at the noise, Pepper's eyes going wide. "Is that an owl? What's an owl doing in here?!"

Facing back around to Steve, Eir, Natasha, and Clint- Eir nods at Clint's back. "Bird boy thought it funny to try and tame one."

"Hey!" Clint yelps as he whirls around on Eir, Natasha and Steve fighting off grins as Sphinx hoots disapprovingly at the lie.

Eir snickers and shrugs, and when Pepper figures it has something to do with Eir and her abilities, she lets it slide by changing the topic and gathers their attention. "Everyone, I just wanted to introduce you all to my secretary. Samantha.. meet Natasha, Clint, Steve, and Eir. Guys, meet Samantha."

The blonde finally gives the team her attention with a nod, her warm smile coming off as a tad bit forced and very uninterested to the trained eye. Though when her eyes land on Eir, her smile falters and her kind eyes suddenly get a cold hard glint in them. The team minus Pepper see the sudden change in Samantha, everyone shifting just a little closer to Eir but the moment Pepper calls out to Samantha, the innocent secretary is suddenly all warm smiles and kind eyes once again.

The drastic change in her demeanor puts them on alert but since they don't want to give anything away, they let it slide for the mean time and chalk it up to the usual female cattiness.

Eir plasters on her most false smile before moving the pensieve into Steve's hands. "Sorry you couldn't meet everyone." She meets the blonde's gaze head on. "Bruce is down in the labs, Pepper's leash on Tony is apparently not tight enough," she giggles when Pepper sighs and rolls her eyes. "And Thor is with his Lady love in New Mexico at the moment."

"It's quite alright." The blonde smiles sweetly. "I'm sure I can meet them another time."

The flash of coldness in the blonde's eyes instantly sets Eir on edge but since no-one else catches it, she shrugs it off. She was sure Pepper had done all the appropriate background checks, including Tony who wouldn't let just anyone into the Tower, so there was no reason to be suspicious of the blonde.

Right?

* * *

**Lol. Several of you figured it out last chapter that something was fishy with Samantha. Big virtual high fives for you!**


	14. Chapter 14

 

Floor Ninety-Three of Avengers Tower was immediately dubbed Magic Central after the secretary incident. Of course, people were still allowed on the floor but only if escorted by Pepper, Eir, or any member of the Avengers team, and they had to call ahead of time if they were bringing a visitor so Eir could quickly hid her magical items.

Upon spotting the not-so-stealthy owl perched on the refrigerator, Tony squawked and demanded to know what a dirty bird was doing inside his tower. Sphinx had hooted in offense, fluffing his wings in outrage, and only calmed when Eir filled in Tony how owls were some of the smartest and clean creatures from her community. When he was put in his place, Tony then pleaded with Pepper if he could please have an owl of his own.

Pepper had denied his request numerous of times but every denied attempt had her smiling and eventually laughing. When Tony had eventually given up, Pepper caught Eir's eye and winked. Whether Tony knew it or not, he would be getting his owl whenever Eir had the chance to drag Pepper to the Wizarding Community so she could pick it out.

The day Sphinx was set to head on back home, Eir penned a quick note for Hermione, giving the fellow witch a list of candy she needed purchased from  _Honeydukes_ and numerous bottles of Firewhiskey _._ She quickly explained that since she was spending Christmas with the Avengers and some new friends, she wanted the candy to make them candy bags as gifts seeing as magical candy would be sure to amuse them rather than regular candy. After enclosing her note in an envelope, she quickly dished out more than enough galleons and sickles, and deposited them in a pouch so Hermione had the spending money. Then quickly feeding Sphinx a few crackers and water, she sent Sphinx on his way to deliver Hermione the message and then told him to return back to Draco when he was finished.

With an affectionate nip to her fingers, Sphinx was soon on his way home.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

With the Avengers and Eir only allowed to be roam Avengers Tower and the Helicarrier, life was really starting to become dull. With the whole deatheater fiasco, it seemed like every other villain put their plans on hold to watch the outcome of the Avenger's newest enemy.

Currently, Eir and Steve found themselves thrown on the comfortable sofa where everyone usually hung out now-a-days on the communal floor. She was stretched out, her legs thrown over Steve's lap as her photo album- which was filled with hundreds of wizarding photos- rested on her shins that Steve was flipping through.

The comfortableness which the two expressed with one another brought a smile to Pepper's face when she had passed through earlier and a wink from Clint who had to be dragged out of the room by Natasha to go get a workout. Bruce didn't pay them no mind, only coming onto the floor to find his lunch that he had ordered via JARVIS before making his way back down to the labs.

The ocean life documentary Eir had been watching blacks out into a commercial and Tony chooses that moment to make his appearance.

"What are my two favorite lovebirds up to today?"

"Shove it, Stark." Eir immediately mutters, her eyes never leaving the TV as Steve snorts in amusement. She takes Tony's teasing like a champ, only firing back at him with a grin so he knows she really isn't annoyed by him.

Tony then takes a seat on the arm rest of the sofa nearest Steve, his shit-eating grin never wavering and his chosen drink of alcohol in hand. Eir's gaze quickly darts from the TV to Tony, her eyes narrowing in suspicion when he remains quiet. He casts a brief glance down towards what Steve is flipping through only to do a double take and then slightly gape.

"What is- how is that-  _huh?_ "

"Cat got your tongue, Stark?" Eir smirks which earns a quick glare from said man. "Come on, then. Spit it out."

"Are the pictures actually moving?!"

"Mhm." Steve answers for his witchy friend. "Apparently wizarding photos move. They can even have portraits painted of themselves that come to life after they've passed to continue on-"

"But trust me," Eir cuts in. "-the portraits aren't at all that fascinating. Back home, we had portraits of all our ancestors and they yapped and yapped and yapped." Eir sighs with a roll of her eyes. "It was bloody annoying. Pompous arses spewing nothing but blood purity nonsense."

Tony flashes her a brief smirk at her bluntness of dislike for her family before getting more comfortable to watch the pictures as Steve flipped through them. When one too many photos of Eir with a certain blonde haired, snobbish looking boy stared up at him, he just couldn't help his curiosity.

"Is this an ex-boyfriend?" He asks, eyes never leaving the pages.

Without needing to take a look, Eir shakes her head. "Was never allowed to date when I was younger."

"No surprise there." Tony snorts. Steve pauses the flipping of pages, tilting his head up at Tony and waiting for him to explain. When he catches both Steve and Eir looking at him, he shrugs. "What? You were a cute kid." He says and points to the pictures of a younger Eir smiling brightly with the blonde boy. "If you were my daughter, I wouldn't have let you date either."

Steve opens his mouth to respond only to snap it shut a second later and nod in agreement. "It wasn't that." Eir laughs. "I was allowed to date but  _only_ if it were that blonde boy, Draco, in the photos you see."

"Why?" Steve mutters, glancing at each photo of Draco with Eir before giving his full attention to said witch.

Eir smiles internally, wanting so bad to see their reactions for what she was about to reveal and only gives her answer when Tony brought his drink up to his lips. "Because he was my betrothed." And there goes Tony spluttering in his drink and Steve going wide-eyed while leaning out from under Tony and his spluttering. "Draco and I had been betrothed when we were still in our Mum's wombs."

"Excuse me?" Tony squawks. "People still do that? Contracts and all?"

"Contracts and all." Eir nods. "Only it was worse for us because everything is bound by magic."

Tony gapes, shaking his head in disbelief while Steve frowns and slumps in on himself. "Are you still?" His eyes quickly dart to her hands, his gaze zeroing in on her ring finger. "Or did you marry him as your parents planned?"

With a brilliant smile, Eir shakes her head. "Even though we didn't like it because we had grew up as best friends before we found out, Draco and I were to be married after we graduated from Hogwarts." She shrugs nonchalantly. "But then the war happened faster than anyone anticipated and our parents put the wedding on hold until after Voldemort reigned over our community and yours. We were then to be married to continue the pure-blood race."

Nose scrunched up in disgust, Tony stands to take a seat on one of the single sofa chairs. "What happened to their plans since that Volde- _whatever_  kicked the bucket?"

"Draco's father got sent to Azkaban for being a loyal deatheater and since Draco was the heir to the Malfoy fortune, all contracts and leases to their home and vaults got signed over to him when he settled back in at home." She grins rather smugly now. "And since my father died and mum went missing after being branded a loyal deatheater, all contracts and leases got signed over to me. The moment we had say so, we terminated that idiotic contract and remained as we always had been. Friends."

"You really dodged a bullet there, didn't you?" Steve finally manages a feeble smile.

"You've no idea." She chuckles, sitting up and removing her legs from Steve's lap to sit closer to him and peer at the photos. "Though he's my best friend, Draco's a git. And besides, I'd have made a horrible wife."

Eir gets so caught up in reminiscing while looking at the photos that she doesn't see Steve's fond grin or Tony's smug smirk while looking at the two.

Yes, it was only a matter of time before the two took their head's out of their bums.

..

..

When the sun had finally set and everyone started to make their way back to the floor, one by one, they noticed Eir rummaging through the kitchen cabinets and/or huffing and puffing in aggravation as she looked for something to eat.

Pepper plus the team were bouncing off dinner ideas on one another that they could have JARVIS order but Eir is determined to have something home-cooked. The cabinets are mostly stocked with Pop-Tarts and cereal, and there is absolutely no meat in the refrigerator- ot that she could cook anything other than pasta but she figured Steve or Clint or maybe even Pepper would lend a helping hand when they saw her failing miserably.

"We're ordering Indian." Clint shouts from the living room. "You sure you don't want anything?"

Eir sighs, placing her hands on her hips as she sulkily pads barefoot into the living room- a pout forming. "Sure. Why not."

Clint grins at her response as she plops down in her seat next to Steve, Steve laughing as he reaches up to tug at her braid. Tony smirks at her, shaking his head in amusement. "How did you ever feed yourself back home? From the way you described your parents, they didn't seem the type to cook and from what Steve's mentioned, you only do pasta."

She playfully scowls, elbowing Steve in the ribs for telling them her lack of cooking abilities. "We had house elves." She mumbles.

"I-I'm sorry but  _what?_ " Tony perks up in his seat as Pepper, Bruce, and Steve turn to face Eir. "Did you just say house elves?"

"Yes?" Eir gulps, shrinking down in her seat as Clint and Natasha join in with the staring and disbelief. "They're tiny creatures who are only bought by Pure-Blood families or passed down from generation to generation. They'll do anything and everything they're asked of. Some are bloody annoying, though, following their Masters and Mistresses beliefs on blood purity. "

"Seriously?" Clint frowns. "Did yours do that?"

"Most of them did." Eir tells him honestly. "But my personal elf, she didn't. She cried to me frequently because the other elves treated her badly for not spewing remarks about the 'mudbloods'- a rather disgusting term for muggleborn witches and wizards." She quickly explains. "Mousy was-  _is_ very loyal and awaiting my call to join me here in the States. Draco's currently looking after her and once everything's over with, I can magic a pantry for her in my kitchen where she'll sleep. I don't have to worry about hiding her from Steve now or any other visitors since you know what I am."

"Pantry?" Pepper frowns. "You'll give her only a pantry to sleep in?"

"It's how they grew up." Eir answers with a frown of her own. "I've tried giving her more but she breaks down into a fit and won't accept it, and I won't force her to accept. I only managed to get her to finally accept payment for what she does for me even though I'm currently not asking her to do anything for me other than wait."

"Interesting." Tony hums in thought. "What exactly does a house elf look like?"

"Like a walking and talking hairless cat with bat ears." At everyone's incredulous look, Eir howls with laughter. "Oh my Merlin." She continues to giggle. "You lot should see your faces!" She continues to laugh, her giggles slowly dying down as she smiles at them all. "They're really odd looking, to be honest. They have really big eyes that are hard to resist and are very, very quiet. They'll clean up without having to be told and are at your beck and call for when you're hungry or need something from a different room."

"Have you spoken to her since you left?" Pepper questions.

Eir nods with a feeble grin. "Draco wrote me a while back. He says she's waiting rather impatiently for me and keeps crying."

"Call her then." Tony blurts and immediately gains everyone's attention including Eir's shocked one. "What? You said she's waiting for you and it doesn't seem these deatheaters are going to go away anytime soon. Might as well give her a room here, too, until you can take her home. Or you know, live here even after everything's over." He shrugs innocently. "Everyone already lives here except you and Steve. It wouldn't be a problem to make it permanent and add a small room for the elf."

Eir gapes at him, eyes wide as she doesn't know what to say. Everything everyone's ever said about Tony Stark is the complete opposite to what she's witnessed. Yeah, he's an arrogant prat but  _only sometimes._ A little less than half the time, he's actually more than pretty decent. Looking to Pepper since she is apparently Tony's better half, she finds the strawberry blonde smiling fondly at Tony's back before looking up to meet her gaze and giving her a nod of encouragement.

She feels a squeeze to her hand and looking down, she finds Steve squeezing her hand reassuringly. "Go on. Call her if you'd like."

Eir's answering radiant smile brings smiles and grins to every other face in the room. Quickly scrambling to her feet, she stands in the middle of the room before fidgeting in place with a nervous smile. "I really wasn't lying when I said house elves are odd looking. Please don't voice your thoughts aloud about her, she's rather an emotion little thing." She chuckles.

"We won't." Steve assures her.

Breathing out in relief, Eir collects herself and calms down as to not put Mousy on edge. When she's well put together, she clears her throat and closes her eyes. "Mousy!" She calls out to no-one in particular. "Mousy, you can come now. It's safe for you to come home."

There's a distinct  _pop!_ followed by a rather girlish yelp from Tony followed by the sound of a slap to Tony's chest from Pepper. There's a sudden high-pitched wail of happiness from the two foot creature with spindly arms and legs. Eir had been correct in telling them house elves had too large eyes and bat ears but they hadn't expected it to look like an actual hairless cat. A hairless cat who is dressed in a small silk dress with  _Mousy_ embroidered on the left side of it's chest and a B embroidered near the bottom hem.

"Oh, Mistress Banning!" The house elf cries. "Mousy has missed you so, so much!" She hugs Eir's legs with fierce compassion, her too big eyes welling with happy tears.

"There, there, Mousy." Eir smiles, reaching down and patting her elf on the back.

"Mistress?" Clint suddenly muses, his eyes darting back and forth between Eir and the house elf that wrapped herself around Eir's legs.

"Mistress. Master." Eir shrugs as if it doesn't bother her. "It's what they call their owners. I've tried for years to get her to call me  _Eir_ but trust me, it doesn't work." Mousy, having realized her Mistress wasn't alone, releases her Mistress' legs only to scramble behind them and peer up at the strangers sitting around the room in various stages of amusement and awe. "It's okay, Mousy, they're friends."

"Friends?"

"Yes. Friends." Eir smiles reassuringly at her before kneeling down and pointing out each individual. "That bloke over there, the one with the goatee and dark hair is Tony Stark. He's the one who owns this Tower and told me to call you so we can live here while the deatheaters are causing problems."

Mousy blinks owlishly, her gaze falling on Tony. "T-thank you, sir! Thank you very much."

"No problem, short stuff."

Tony's wink and smile eases a bit of Mousy's fear, the elf relaxing just a little. "And that nice lady at Tony's side is Pepper. She's Tony's better half." Tony doesn't argue and Pepper is kind enough to smile and wave at the house elf. "The bloke in purple dress shirt and glasses, that's Dr. Banner or Bruce." Eir smiles politely at him as he greets Mousy with a smile as well. "The lady with flaming red hair is Natasha and the man next to her is Clint."

"Hey." Clint nods in greeting. "Nice to meet you."

"And you as well, sir."

"And last but not least," Eir chuckles and points at the last person. "We have Steve. He was my first friend here in New York."

"Hi. Mousy, is it?" Steve leans forward in his seat, hand stretched out as if to shake her hand. "Nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Oh, I quite like him." Mousy squeaks into Eir's ear with a smile. She quickly reaches forward to shake Steve's hand before scrambling back to her Mistress' side.

"I quite like him, too." Eir murmurs softly so no-one hears, winking at her house elf who beams up at her.

A silence falls over the room, Mousy's appearance throwing everyone off even though they had knew she was coming. When it starts to become uncomfortable and Mousy starts to fidget under the stares, Tony claps his hands and immediately stands. "Okay, so is everyone still feeling Indian?"

There are murmurs of approval even as Mousy looks up curiously to Eir for an explanation, the house elf needing another explanation when Tony suddenly calls upon JARVIS. After the explanation of muggle technology was out of the way, Mousy suddenly seems ecstatic to be in the presence of so many nice muggles.

With Tony quickly placing their order with JARVIS, the team takes Mousy's giddiness in stride. For being such a small little thing, she had much energy to display when she isn't afraid of them any longer.

When the food had finally arrived and everyone started to gather in the kitchen, Mousy asks where it is she is to retire to when Pepper encourages the house elf to eat with them. Mousy had politely refused, saying an elf was to never eat with her superiors but Pepper wouldn't hear none of it. After much encouraging from Pepper, Eir, Steve, and Tony, the tiny house elf burst into joyful tears before wrapping herself around Pepper's legs and then Eir's in thanks and ate Indian food for the first time with her Mistress and friends.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

After spending a week with Eir's house elf, the Avengers and Pepper oddly grew accustomed to her right away. Especially when Eir gave her money and sent her to pick up several magical ingredients plus food for Mousy to cook.

Mousy had spent only the one night in Eir's room before the pantry was cleaned out and then magically expanded to Mousy's liking. And when Tony found out that Mousy could cook a mean treacle tart, Tony was willing to pay her in muggle money if she continued to cook for everyone. Of course, she refused the money but Eir promised that she'd up the elf's pay little by little so she didn't notice right away.

Since they were still all in danger with the deatheaters roaming out in the streets, Eir felt it necessary to fill in Mousy about everything that had went down. The house elf took the news well, only crying twice when she found out her Mistress had been stunned unconscious. She was told of the restrictions about not leaving the communal floor or the floor where Steve and Eir's rooms resided, the only exceptions being long distance apparition to Diagon Alley back in their homeland or the magical community in New York where Eir recently found out resided at the base of the Statue of Liberty.

With Mousy having grown quite fond of everyone, the group grew custom to being addressed by their surnames by someone who wasn't JARVIS.

* * *

**So this chapter was more filler than anything. Sorry there was no action for you to enjoy but the drama and suspicions will return soon :)**


	15. Chapter 15

The closer Christmas got, the more comfortable the Avengers, Eir, and Pepper became being subjected to the Tower. Especially since an owl delivered a rather large package which held several shrunken chests, each chest sporting each of their names. They were quite shocked that Eir got something for everyone so when Eir wasn't around, they managed to shop either online or via JARVIS and buy a couple of items for the witch in return.

When Tony and Clint were adamant about sneaking under the tree to try and open their gifts early, Eir spelled the gifts to electrocute whoever touched them before Christmas day. And so with the excitement of a drama free holiday coming up, they let themselves become comfortable in their environment.

But when the Avengers got the call from Agent Hill that Director Fury needed them on the Helicarrier in ten minutes along with Eir and an object which recently came into her possession that Agent Romanoff spoke of, everyone sans Natasha and Steve moaned and groaned about work so close to their favorite holiday.

The ten minute mark was approaching but yet no-one had been sent in any aircraft to give them a lift.

Tapping his foot in aggravation, Tony checked his watch one more time. "Does he expect me to fly everyone up there on my own or what?" He rolls his eyes. "That's a lot of back and forth." He then mumbles as he eyes the rest of the team.

Eir sighs, having had enough of Tony's whining. "Natasha or Clint, can you please get Hill back on the line and tell her to have the debrief room cleared out. You know, the room Fury took me into they day I was released to pick up my belongings from my apartment? Tell her to have it cleared of everyone except for Fury and herself if he wants her there."

Natasha nods, pulling out a cell from her back pocket and stepping away from the group to make the call.

"What are you thinking?" Steve asks as he sidles up to Eir, hip-checking her playfully as his arms were crossed over his chest.

"I'm thinking of just  _popping_ in." She grins mischievously. "I can apparate, remember? It's about time you see it and experience it. I'll take you while Mousy follows seconds later with the rest of the team."

Bruce hesitantly raises his hand as if asking permission to speak. "Are you sure that's such a good idea? Maybe they can send a jet down for me." He mumbles. "I'm not sure the Other Guy will handle magical traveling very well."

"I forgot about that." Eir then frowns, biting her lower lip sheepishly. "If I may ask, what exactly sets the  _Other Guy_ off?"

Bruce smiles at her to let her know that it was okay to ask. "Surprises mostly. I can usually keep it under control unless something elevates my heart rate faster than I can anticipate it."

"I see." Eir drawls. "What if there's a way to keep you calm? Will you try it?"

"Depends. What do you have in mind?"

Natasha is suddenly off the phone, coming back to the team to give the confirmation that the room had been cleared. With a secretive grin, Eir calls upon Mousy. "Yes, Mistress?"

"Mousy, will you be a dear and retrieve a vial of the calming draught from my room? And while you're at it, bring the pensieve as well." With a nod, Mousy disappears with a  _pop!_ only to returns seconds later with a vial of amber liquid and the pensieve tucked beneath one arm. Once Eir shrinks the pensieve to pocket it, she asks Mousy to stay after taking the draught from the house elf. "Here you go, Doctor." She grins at Bruce as she hands over the vial. "Drink up. It'll keep you calm for at least an hour."

"A-are you sure?" He takes the vial, skeptical about the draught and it's effects since he isn't exactly an average human anymore. The rest of the team seem skeptical as well, if not wary, but after some reassurance Bruce uncorks the vial and knocks back it's contents.

The moment Bruce flashes them a goofy grin, Tony and Clint fight back snickers while Eir groans. "Jarvis," Eir calls out. "-if you will, please, remind to me tone down the moonstone next time I make a batch of the calming draught."

" _Of course, Ms. Banning."_ JARVIS answers.  _"Will that be all?"_

"Yes, thank you!"

" _You're most welcome."_

Eir claps once, gaining the room's attention. "Well now that that's out of the way, let's get going!" She sidles up to Steve, looping her arm through his with a grin. "Just a warning, apparating can be quite disorientating for first timers." She chuckles. "I'll take Steve first and when I call for Mousy, she'll bring you in seconds later. Apparition only works if one's already been to said location and since Mousy hasn't, she can just follow my call. Clear?"

Everyone nods in agreement, Mousy stepping up to Natasha and Bruce and holding out her hands for them to grab hold of. Eir then tells Clint and Tony to just grab hold of either Natasha and Bruce, and to hold on for the ride.

..

..

Fury is waiting rather patiently in the debrief room, his one eye staring straight ahead at the gray-blue wall in front of him. Apparently Agent Hill had been requested to clear out this specific room by the witch so he knew some form of magic is going to be performed.

A moment later, he gets his answer when Eir Banning and Steve Rogers appear from thin air with a distinct  _popping_ noise. The girl is all smiles while Steve looks as if he is barely holding himself together.

"Director." Eir greets him as Steve shakily takes a seat.

"Ms. Banning." He nods at her. "Where's the rest of my team?"

She holds up her pointer finger at him before closing her eyes. "Mousy, you may bring them in now."

Before Fury can ask who she is speaking with, yet another  _pop!_ is heard but this time, a little hairless rat-like creature is the cause. Holding it's hands are a rather amused Dr. Banner, a sickly pale Agent Romanoff, and Stark and Barton who are dry-heaving by the back wall.

"Never.. never again." Tony pants as he and Barton stumble into the wall, barely holding themselves up.

Steve offers Natasha a rather sympathetic smile as she too looks as if she were barely holding the contents of her stomach in. "That was most fun." Bruce smiles fondly. "I look forward to that again. Thank you, Mousy." He mutters, bending down and patting the creature on it's head before taking his seat.

"Is he- is he under the influence?!" Fury barks, leaning forward to get a look at the team. "What the hell happened to these guys? And what the hell is that thing?" He points at Mousy with a glare.

Eir's sudden amusement fades as she returns the glare at Fury. "No, he is not under the influence. It's just a calming draught so we could travel by apparation and not wake the Other Guy. And that  _thing_ just so happens to be a  _she._ " She continues to glare quite defiantly. "She is Mousy, my house elf, and it will do you some good to be nice to her."

Fury continues to glare before looking out at the assembled team and relaxes once more in his chair. "Fine." Settling in, he looks to Eir. "Now down to business. I'm well aware you know why I've asked for this meeting. You're the one who told Agent Romanoff to tell me about your nifty little memory viewer."

"Of course." Eir calms down as well before taking a seat next to Steve. "You appear to be a man who does not take one's word for it so I figured if you saw the memories of what I've already told you, well then there'd be no need for you to not trust me." The rest of the team slowly take their seat, Mousy choosing to stand in the corner of the room while her Mistress and friends spoke to the scary muggle. Without waiting for Fury to speak once more, she pulls free her pensieve, enlarging it above the table and letting it float mid-air. "While I am willing to let you view my past, I am  _not_ willing to join you." She tells him, her face passive. "I've lived this once and that was enough for several lifetimes. You and whoever of your choosing may dip in while we wait for you to resurface."

Fury contemplates her words, his one eye narrowing and jaw clenching before he nods. Curiosity will always be his downfall. "And you're sure this is completely safe?"

"Positive." She nods. "The moment you dip your finger in, it'll feel like you're free falling into the memory. Once you land, you must remember that they can't see you and you can't interact with them. You must stay close to my memory!self so the memory doesn't drag you along. While it'll feel like half an hour or longer in there, it'll only be seconds out here."

"Fair enough." Fury then immediately reaches up to the comm at his ear, calling in Agent Hill. Once the Agent enters the room and Fury fills her in that he wants her to go with him, she agrees after hearing what to expect of being in a memory.

The moment the two travelers quiet, Eir produces her wand and makes herself think of her ugly past. She pulls memory after memory from her mind, Bruce awing at the sight while Tony is captivated by the wisps of the witch's memories.

Before she gives the go for Fury and Hill to enter, she feels a hand squeeze her knee under the table and when she looks to see who the owner of said hand is, she finds Steve smiling reassuringly at her. Her past is horrendous, at least while in the care of her parents and Voldemort running about, and she is scared of Fury and Hill's reactions to her when they resurface from her memories. Would they change their opinion about her and deem her just as evil? Or would they show pity every time they laid eyes on her?

When she feels it is time, Eir gestures for them to go on in. Without hesitating, Fury and Hill each dip a finger in and are sucked into the pensieve, and out of view.

Eir's leg bounces nervously while Steve keeps his hand on her knee, and Tony and Clint are still groaning about being sick. Bruce seems to be the only content one while Natasha finally looks as if she has some color back in her cheeks.

As predicted, seconds later Fury and Hill are redeposited back into the room. Both are stoic as ever though Hill looks rather ashen. She avoids any and all eye contact, and Fury has eyes only for Eir.

"I know you told us this before we took a look but you still should have warned us." He stares at Eir. "That was-" He pauses, trying to find the right words. "-I have no words for what you've been through." He then settles for. "Deatheaters are a lot more dangerous than I anticipated."

"I'm sorry." Eir dips her head in apology. "And yes, they are, but don't worry about the team. They've been studying the different types of curses and hexes and the color of lights they produce so they know which ones they need to avoid. Your team is in good hands."

Fury doesn't bother to argue and instead actually  _fidgets_ with his leather coat before turning on his heel and heading for the door. Agent Hill is close to follow though her visibly shaking form has caught everyone off guard. Before the Agent exits the door, she chances a brief look at the witch she witnessed being tortured only to get a sad smile in return. S.H.I.E.L.D seriously got lucky with this particular witch dropping right into their laps and offering up every resource she had. With a nod of acknowledgment, Agent Hill shuts the door behind her on her way out.

"If we're done here, I'd like to go home." Eir mumbles suddenly. When no-one makes any protests other than from Clint and Tony who make it clear they were not traveling with Mousy again, the rest of the team are apparated back to Avengers Tower.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

**Two days before Christmas Eve..**

Steve was in a bit of a pickle while he was situated at the kitchen bar.

Ever since he had come out of his shell from living in the past, he found himself able to interact with the female gender rather easily. But since Eir had popped into his life, he found himself unsure and second-guessing his interactions with her, and reverting back to his blushing ways.

And they were only  _friends._

Sure, she was an attractive female but when he had first met her, but all he was interested in was being her friend. Then right off the bat, she asked for his help in painting her apartment and things became rather easy between the two of them after that. He slowly found himself bribing and teasing her with Coca-Cola and spent day after day just sitting on the front steps of their apartment building as they got to know each other more. He delved into his sketches while she took up photography and he couldn't help but fall little by little for her.

Then the whole debacle with the deatheaters happened and she proved to be an even bigger mystery with her mysteriousness falling away as he pieced together her story after she gave them plenty. Her past only made him feel for her more, wanting to shield her from the horrors of every day life but he knew she wouldn't appreciate it.

His team- his friends- easily took to her presence and even more so- her magic. She managed to do the impossible which was bring the team closer together and surprisingly, there hadn't been a fight between any of them. His friends teased her and she sometimes teased right back but what caught his attention the most was when Tony would tease her about a relationship between himself and Eir. She would sometimes blush and splutter which he found quite  _cute_ or on days she was feeling brave, she'd play along with it.

Said witch suddenly pulled him from his thoughts, Eir twirling Mousy around by the hand in the kitchen as the tiny elf made them an early dinner. Mousy was another reason that Steve found himself falling for Eir. While Mousy was a servant of Eir's, Eir didn't treat the elf as such. Sure she asked for help but only every now and then, and mostly with cooking. Instead of being treated like a servant, or treated like other Pure-Bloods treated their house elves, Eir treated Mousy like a friend.

It was obvious to everyone who met Mousy that she absolutely adored Eir and tried her best to make everyone happy when they called for her. While she did belong to Eir, the witch let the house elf know that it was okay to help the others should they call for assistance.

Eir plops down into the available seat next to Steve, knocking her shoulder into his. "What has you so quiet tonight, sir?" The lilt of her voice coming out quite airy makes him grin.

"Nothing." He shakes his head.

"Thou shall not lie, Mr. Rogers." She then teases. "Now tell me what's wrong?"

Steve's amused expression falters but is too slow to mask it so when Eir sees it, her own amusement dying down. One look at Eir has him internally panicking but after taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he figures he has nothing to lose. Eir is the nicest and most laid back person he'd ever met so if things don't turn out as he expects, he figures she won't let their friendship become awkward. Hell, he'd make sure too.

"Do you like me?"

The blurted and rushed question catches Eir a bit off guard, she having to take a moment before the words click in and a brilliant smile tilts the corner of her lips upward. Steve takes this as a good sign. "Of course, I like you, silly! I wouldn't be your friend otherwise."

And yeah, Steve visibly deflates at that. "No." He awkwardly clears his throat. "I mean do you  _like_ me?" Eir's own smile now falters, her smile forming a thin line as her brows crinkle together in confusion. Upon seeing this, Steve suddenly feels stupid for even asking. "I-I'm sorry. That was crossing the line. Just for-"

"No!" Eir squeaks, jumping from her seat when Steve makes a move to stand. "Wait.. just wait." She breathes out, letting herself sit only when it appears Steve isn't going to make a run for it. "Do  _you_ like  _me?_ Other than just being a friend, obviously." The dusting of pink on Steve's cheeks burn brighter and Eir has her answer. Clapping her hands together and leaving them clasped just over her heart, Eir smiles brightly once more. "Feelings mutual, Mr. Rogers." She then winks at him.

Steve blinks in surprise before he flashes a bright smile right back, sighing and then slumping in relief. "Really?"

"Mhm. It all started with a picture." She laughs at him. "The picture you took of the two of us in front of our apartment building. The one I have framed in my room now."

"I think mine started the moment I found I could lure you away from your apartment with Cola."

Eir laughs yet again, resting her elbows on the bar top and leaning forward. She smiles fondly at the memories the two of them shared before she sighs sadly and turns to stare him in the eye. "Given what we've just admitted to, I think it's best we wait to pursue anything after the deatheaters are taken care of." She now smiles sadly. "If they figure out that we mean something more to each other- other than just friends- they'll single us out and be crueler than normal. I won't be able to live with myself if something happened to you because I liked you more than just a friend."

Oddly enough, Steve understands.

Nodding in agreement, Eir and Steve grin at one another at having cleared things up and opened up a new path for themselves when the air vent cover that led to the kitchen suddenly falls to the floor. Eir yelps in surprise, Steve sighs, and Mousy merely looks curious.

Clint then falls from the open vent, his smug smile telling Steve and Eir that he just heard everything. Steve and Eir roll their eyes while Clint turns to Mousy. "Hey, pipsqueak! Will you go alert Tony and Nat that they've lost the bet? I'll give you half the winnings." He bribes.

Eir is more stunned by the fact that Mousy agrees rather than there was a bet going on. She's even more surprised when Mousy disappears with a  _pop!_  and even more so when Mousy reappears and confirms with a tinkling laugh that Mr. Stark and Ms. Romanoff are on the way up. Clint high-fives the tiny elf before taking an empty seat and waits to see his teammates reactions.

When Tony and Natasha finally make said appearance, Tony is sulking at having lost their bet and Natasha doesn't seem too upset about not winning. Apparently they had bet when the two would confess their feelings to one another- Tony betting on Valentine's Day, Natasha on New Year's, and Clint on Christmas. Since neither of them got the actual date, they went with who got it the closest and Clint came out the winner.

"I don't even want to hear it." Tony pouts as he takes his own seat. "You two couldn't wait for just a couple more months?" Without waiting for their answer, he just plows right on. "You know what, nevermind. I don't wanna hear it. Just give me my food. Maybe then I'll mock the two of you for actually getting your head out of your asses."

Steve and Eir just laugh, shaking their head in amusement at Tony's bad mood.

"Wait for Pepper and Bruce to show and then we'll eat." Eir tells him but Tony shakes his head.

"Pepper called in earlier this afternoon saying she was working late and Bruce said he'll come up when he's finished with whatever he's working on."

The team takes his word for it and Mousy serves up their food.

..

..

After having been fed to their fill, everyone retires to sit in front of the TV while Mousy magicked the kitchen clean and kept the leftovers under a stasis charm to keep it warm and fresh for Pepper and Bruce.

Just as Eir starts to doze off, the elevator dings on their floor alerting them to someone's presence. There is no clicking of heels, instead the sound of flat shoes thumping against the floor echo into the room. While anyone would have guessed it was the other missing Avenger, the team know better since Bruce was oddly a quiet walker. Turning to peer at the newcomer, they find a disheveled looking Samantha who comes to an abrupt halt at seeing everyone gathered.

One by one, they all stand to see what's going on. Everyone who was allowed to be on this floor knew that should they bring a guest, they had to escort said guest and call ahead and yet, no-one was with Samantha. Her shocked gaze immediately turns passive, her gaze then darting between anything and everything around the room.

Her clothes are not at all feminine and at least two sizes too big. Her face seems a bit slimmer and dark bags beneath her eyes make her appear sick. When her gaze lands on Eir, the room's occupants tense at the cold glint that suddenly appears.

"Friend of yours?" Tony asks Eir as she glares defiantly back at the female. If Samantha could glare for no reason well then Eir would return the favor.

"No." Eir mumbles, her sleep immediately leaving her as warning bells start blaring in her head. "Only met her once when Pepper introduced her to us as her secretary."

"I see." Tony hums as he turns back to face Samantha; Steve, Clint, and Natasha discreetly spread out around the room as Tony gives each of them a certain  _look_. "Speaking of Pepper, have you seen her? She said she'd be working late but if you're here then Pepper should be too." He asks the secretary. Something is off.

Samantha's gaze darts to Tony, her entire facial demeanor becoming nicer yet she seems rather untrustworthy at the moment. "Not at all. She told me to come fetch some things for her. Said it was okay to come right on up." And yeah, something definitely is up. Pepper wouldn't willingly send someone up. She'd have followed protocol of calling, telling them to hide everything magical as she brought someone up. And since that wasn't the case, Tony was highly suspicious of this Samantha character.

Tony's hand delve into his pocket, digging out his phone as he shot off a quick text message. Samantha appears to tense at the object in his hand, jaw clenching and as Eir gets a closer look, she could've swore that the flesh of Samantha's cheek  _rippled_.

Eir figures it must have been a trick of the light when no-one else appears to have seen it and lets it slide. Tony continues messing with his phone and when he catches Eir's gaze, he discreetly shakes his head. He can't get ahold of Pepper.

Gulping and looking back at Samantha, Eir catches the blonde trying to contain a smirk when Samantha catches her staring. There is yet another  _ripple_ of flesh and when Eir's eyes widen, Samantha cruelly smirks openly. It then clicks in Eir's mind all at once, her wand falling into her hand from her sleeve at the same moment Samantha's wand falls from her sleeve.

" _Get down!_ " Eir hollers.

No-one has to be told twice; Tony, Steve, Clint, and Natasha all falling on all fours as the sofa suddenly blows up.

Samantha isn't speaking yet colored light after colored light fly from the tip of her wand as they dance around each other in the room, the Avengers crawling out of the way and ducking behind overturned furniture.

"Protego!" Eir shouts at the last second, a red light connecting with her protection shield.

Samantha cackles in a deranged manner, pointing her wand threateningly at Eir and giving Eir time to raise her own.

"Stupefy." Samantha mutters fiercely at the same time Eir shouts, "Expelliarmus!"

Red and red connect in the middle of the room, the beams of light from each spell flashing and sparking dangerously as each witch fights for dominance. From the corner of her eye, Eir catches Natasha pulling free a handgun from the bookshelf. "Don't!" She yells. "We her need to find Pepper!"

Having lost concentration, Eir rolls out of the way as Samantha's  _stupefy_ shoots passed her. Samantha then turns her attention on the other occupants, sending jets of blue and purple light at Natasha and Clint, making to the two assassins duck and scramble out of the way. Eir shoots a protection shield in front of Tony when he was too slow to jump out of the way and only connects wands with Samantha once more at the last second.

Panting and heaving while holding her own, Eir can feel herself running out of energy. Tony, Steve, Clint, and Natasha wrack their minds for a way to take down Samantha without killing her or getting hit by one of her curses and hexes as the witches duel.

Before they can put any plan of theirs into motion, Mousy suddenly appears looking rather livid for such a tiny creature and raises a tiny hand in the air towards Samantha. "The Dark has no claim over Mistress Banning any longer." Her voice oddly carries over the noise of Samantha and Eir's magic connecting and with a snap of fingers from the house elf, Samantha goes flying back and into the wall with a loud  _thump!_ and is knocked unconscious.

Eir heaves a sigh of relief, Steve rushing to her side while Clint and Natasha go to Samantha's side and move her back to the middle of the room.

"You okay?" Steve murmurs, grabbing Eir by the chin and tilting her head to peer up at him.

"Fine. I'm good." She tiredly smiles at him. "Bit out of shape but I'm good." Steve snorts fondly before pulling her into a brief hug, Eir's gaze darting to Tony who is staring down at Mousy in a new light. "House elves," She calls out, gaining Tony's attention. "-are fiercely loyal to their owners."

Mousy summons up a chair for the two assassins, said assassins dropping Samantha unceremoniously into it while Mousy then conjures up ropes to tie the female up.

While everyone gets themselves together, Eir walks up to Samantha and points her wand at the unconscious witch. "Rennervate."

"How'd you know?" Clint mumbles as Samantha slowly wakes, rubbing his elbow that he had fallen on. "How'd you know she was the enemy?"

"Because of that right there." Eir points out the now constant rippling of Samantha's face. "That's the tell-tale sign of the polyjuice potion wearing off. Whoever this is, it isn't the real Samantha." The tied up female starts to laugh, not a tinkling one you'd expect from a female but a menacing deep chuckle.

As one, the group all take a step back as the female body of 'Samantha' suddenly starts to ripple more and morphs into that of a greasy, menacing man. Dark shaggy hair hangs down to his shoulders, face gaunt as dark cold eyes stare directly at Eir. And now, the too big clothes suddenly made sense as this man fills them out.

"Who are you? Where's Pepper?" Eir suddenly growls, lunging forward so she is up in the man's face.

He only laughs harder, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "Now, now, little Banning. You know better than to question your superiors."

"You are not my superior." She snarls, eyes blazing at the fact he knew her but she doesn't have the slightest clue as to who he is.

A hand wraps around Eir's bicep, the witch's attention snapping to the offending hand only to find Tony with his face passive and gesturing for her to step back. "He a deatheater?"

"Has to be. He knows me but I don't know him and he thinks he's the superior here." Eir answers with less venom than what she was spitting at the man. "My guess is they've been watching us here at the Tower and kidnapped Samantha the day after Pepper hired her. They needed access to us and the shiny new secretary was their best bet."

"Bravo. Have it all figured out, do you?"

Eir goes to lunge at the man but Tony and now Steve are holding her back. "You really think they have her?" Tony murmurs sadly, fighting down the lump in his throat.

Before Eir can answer, the deatheater starts to laugh once more. "Oh, we have her." He smirks proudly. "And you can your filthy muggles back the second you hand over the blood-traitor."

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun. Some of you were correct in saying that Samantha was acting quite sketchy.. though it's not her fault though, is it? Damn you deatheaters for kidnapping an innocent!**

**Anyway, sorry I'm not sorry about this cliffhanger. Don't kill me!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so short. This is just the somewhat calm before the storm. Check Polyvore for a set for this chapter :) If you need the link, just ask.

 

**Previously on A Second Chance..**

_A hand wrapped around Eir's bicep, the witch's attention snapping to the offending hand only to find Tony with his face passive and gesturing for her to step back. "He a deatheater?"_

" _Has to be." Eir answered with less venom than what she was spitting at the man. "He knows me but I don't know him and he thinks he's the superior here. My guess is they've been watching us here at the Tower and kidnapped Samantha the day after Pepper hired her. They needed access to us and the shiny new secretary was their best bet."_

" _Bravo. Have it all figured out, do you?"_

_Eir went to lunge at the man but Tony and now Steve were holding her back. "You really think they have her?" Tony murmured sadly._

_Before Eir could answer, the deatheater started to laugh once more. "Oh, we have her." He smirked proudly. "And you can your filthy muggles back the second you hand over the blood-traitor."_

Eir's eyes widen as all eyes turn to her. Ever since they'd started to delve into Eir's magical history, they picked up on a few terms and instantly knew he was speaking of Eir as the 'blood-traitor'.

"No. No way in hell." Steve quickly denies, pulling Eir behind him as he puts himself in the deatheater's line of vision. "We'll figure out a different way. We always do."

"Suit yourself, boy. It's his woman whose life is on the line." He grins proudly as he gestures to Tony.

Tony's fists clench at his sides, the man fighting every urge to leap on the man and beat him senseless. "Don't listen to him." Eir puts a comforting hand on Tony's arm. "He'll say anything to work you up so you do what he wants. We'll get her back, Tony. We will."

Tony doesn't say anything but he does nod to let Eir know he heard her. Taking a deep breath, Tony walks away from the man's taunting words to collect himself. As Steve, Eir, Clint, and Natasha spread out in front of the tied up man, Natasha's head tilts curiously to the side.

"He mentioned muggles." She mutters high enough so her team hears. "As in more than one."

"He could mean Pepper and the real Samantha." Clint shrugs but Natasha shakes her head with a frown.

"We can't take that chance. We need to know exactly who they have so we know what we're walking into."

Tony's sudden groan has the team turning towards him. "JARVIS, is Bruce still in the building?"

The team holds their breath as they await JARVIS' answer.  _"Yes, sir, he is. Would you like me to tell him there's a group meeting currently being held and his presence is required?"_

"Yeah, Jay, send him on up."

" _Right away, sir."_

The group breathes a sound of relief but before they can get too comfortable, thunder suddenly claps outside and a vortex of bright rainbow lights surround the entire building. There's a moment of hesitation where no-one knows what to do but they're quickly relieved of the duty of figuring something out when a very disheveled Thor appears ready in his Asgardian battle garb.

"Lady Jane has been hidden from Heimdall's view!" He tells everyone. "Heimdall assured me I was to come here if I wanted to find her!"

"Well, there's your answer." Clint nudges Natasha.

"They wanted our attention." Eir grumbles as she turns her coldest glare on the deatheater. "Looks like you've got it."

He cackles madly once more, shrugging innocently. "You know what to do, witch. Turn yourself over and your filthy muggles go free."

Eir bristles at his words, her anger getting the best of her and before she knows it, her wand is pointed at the man square between the eyes. "Stupefy!"

His head snaps back at the force of being hit by Eir's spell, his body going lax as he's once more knocked unconscious. The elevator dings open on their floor but the team is too busy being shocked at the way Eir reacted to the deatheater's words.

"What did you do that for?!" Tony suddenly yells. "He's the only one here who knew where Pepper and Foster are!"

"Quiet!" Eir finally snaps, effectively quieting Tony when he sees the heat in her glare. "He's not dead. He's just knocked out to keep him from blabbering and trying to turn us against one another."

Tony and Eir stare each other down, the group all fidgeting as they await for a plan of action when someone clearing their throat gains their attention. "Uh, what's going on?" Bruce gulps nervously.

The innocence of Bruce's question and his confused state has the team each cracking a brief grin therefore eliminating the tension that was building. Gesturing Bruce further into the room, Clint pulls the scientist to the side to fill him in as Eir goes to make peace with Tony.

"I need Pepper's real name." She speaks calmly. "There's a handy spell I know but I need her first name and last for it to work."

Tony reigns in his anger, sighing in relief as do Steve and Natasha who are waiting to see what she does. "Virginia Potts."

"And Lady Jane is Jane Foster." Thor quickly throws in, looking very helpless at the moment.

"Thanks, Big Guy, but if they've managed to hide her from Heimdall then there's not much I can do." Thor slumps at her words but she offers him an encouraging grin. "But on a brighter note, Jane is most likely with Pepper and the real Samantha if the girl is still alive." Thor tries to nod in understanding but it's quite obvious he's still very distressed. Quickly pulling herself together, Eir holds out her free hand with her palm up while using her other hand to lay her wand on the upturned palm. "Point me Virginia Potts." The wand starts to spin as everyone watches on and the second it comes to an abrupt halt facing West, Eir sighs in relief with a grin and snorts. "They hid Jane but not Pepper. I can use this to find them."

"Most excellent. Let's go!" Thor suddenly beams, gripping Mjölnir and readying for battle.

"Easy, Thor." Eir smiles at him. "You might be battle ready but we're not." She gestures to Steve, Tony, Natasha, and Clint before giving each of them her attention. "Everyone, suit up. We'll meet back here in five."

The group quickly disperses with Clint disappearing through the air vent in the kitchen while Bruce and Thor stay with the unconscious deatheater.

..

..

Eir is just finishing up with lacing her dragon-hide boots when there's a knock at her door. She glances up and with a quiet sigh, pulling on black finger-less gloves as she moves to answer the door. When she does, she finds Steve decked out in his Captain America spandex suit, his shield locked in place at his back, and his fingers fidgeting with his cowl.

His eyes quickly travel from her nearly knee-high boots, over the skin-tight leather pants, passed the finger-less gloves and straight to the front zipper bustier top with two inch shoulder straps. For a fight, there's a lot of upper skin showing and Steve doesn't like it. "That's your suit?" He frowns and watches as her fingers make quick work of parting her hair down the middle before twisting each side and pinning it in place at the back of her head.

"Nope. I still have a dragon skin coat to put on." She smirks, now braiding the two halves together over her shoulder. After her hair is done and out of her face, she picks up her coat from her bed and slides her arms inside before buckling the two buckles below her bust. "See, this is my suit. Dragon-hide makes great battle gear since some spells will bounce off the skin."

Steve tries to smile- really, he does- but he just can't shake the feeling that this was  _too easy._ "Don't go." He suddenly blurts. "The moment they lay eyes on you, it's over. They'll take you."

Eir's small smile falls as she holsters her wand up her sleeve for a moment, moving to stand in front of Steve so she is forced to peer up at him. "I have to. I'm the only one my wand will work for. Without me, you won't find Pepper or Jane."

"Eir," Steve sighs. "-they're gonna kill you."

"I know they will." She smiles sadly, her heart aching at the pain that flashes in his eyes. "But you won't let them. The team won't let them." She presses on, reaching up to caress his cheek. "I'm the reason the girls were taken. If I don't show up, the deatheaters will kill them. I have to go, Steve." Steve actually pouts as he leans into Eir's touch. "And if it makes you feel any better, I'll stay behind you the entire time. Or at your side so I can cast shields if need be."

Reluctantly, Steve caves in to her. "You better be careful." And the emotion behind his words- in his eyes- catches Eir briefly off guard and leaves her heart hammering against her rib cage. With a faint smile and nod, she reaches up on her tiptoes to place a kiss at the corner of his lips.

"I promise."

..

..

The moment Steve and Eir step out of the elevator together back on the ninety-third floor, Eir finds slight amusement in that Tony does a double take of her outfit but makes no comment. She knows that once everything is settled and Pepper is back in the safety of the tower, all bets would be off and she'd be treated to his teasing once more.

Clint and Natasha nod in greeting- Natasha decked out in her S.H.I.E.L.D catsuit uniform with guns holstered on her upper thighs and bracelets on each wrist that Clint once told her delivered the  _Widow's Bite._ Clint's in his usual kevlar armored pant and vest, his bow gripped in one hand with his quiver of arrows attached to his back, and knives tucked in around his thighs and boots while Tony is clad in his Iron Man suit with his face mask up as he paces back and forth waiting for the plan.

"So the plan is to basically show up, get Pepper and Jane and whoever else they have to safety, and then draw the deatheaters out where there will be no civilian casualties." Eir announces. "Any objections?"

"No," Tony answers for everyone. "But what are we doing with him?" He asks as he points to the unconscious deatheater.

Surprisingly, even though Steve's team captain, everyone turns to Eir for instructions since she is the one who's had most interactions with the bad guys. Face suddenly going grim, Eir walks up to the deatheater while letting her wand slip free from her sleeve. "I'm gonna need to concentrate for a few moments. No-one speak." The team then surround her without muttering a word, listening to her instructions and watching as she points her wand at the deatheater's head. "Obliviate." They hear her mutter, the tip of wand glowing a bright white as she slowly twists her wrist this way and that way. After a few seconds, she finally lowers her wand.

"What did you do?" Clint asks.

Eir turns to him with a sheepish smile and a shrug. "I picked through his memories and erased everything related to the Avengers." She grins feebly, not knowing how Clint will react given his history with mind meddling. "I erased my location and him ever seeing me in the States."

"While that's great and all, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with leaving him in my home." Tony's irritable attitude doesn't phase any of them. Hell, if their significant other had gotten kidnapped- not that they had any- they'd be on edge, too. When Clint makes no outburst about Eir meddling with the deatheater's mind, she turns to give Tony her attention.

"I figured." She sighs before calling upon Mousy. The moment Mousy appears, Eir gives her instructions. "Take this man," She points to the tied up deatheater. "-to the Ministry back in England. Take him down to the Auror department and tell them he's attacked muggles but don't say where. Once they take him away, apparate back here and wait for us to return."

Mousy bows her head at having accepted her Mistress' order before popping over to the deatheater and gripping him by his pant's leg. She disappears the both of them with a  _pop!_ and the team once more turns to Eir.

"Problem solved." Natasha muses. "Now comes the next problem of traveling. I have a feeling that a jet would make too much racket and draw too much attention."

"My sentiments exactly." Eir smirks, digging into her coat pocket and producing a pen-like object. The moment she waves her wand over it, it expands in what appears to be a broom before hovering in mid-air at waist height. "I can travel with one person on the back and I figured Tony can lend a hand to someone else as well as Thor."

"Not to poke a hole in your plan," Steve speaks up. "-but there's an odd number of us."

Eir frowns before looking around the room and notices that Bruce is hanging back. "Uh, no, you're not." He fidgets when everyone turns their attention on him. "If they have Pepper and Jane anywhere in a building, I don't think unleashing the Hulk inside is a good idea. That and there's the fact that we don't know how the Other Guy will react to Eir when he sees her practicing the same magic as the enemy."

"Point taken." Steve nods in understanding. "So you're staying then?"

Before Bruce can answer, Mousy suddenly reappears with a  _pop!_ and explains that all was taken care of though the tiny house elf seemed on edge if her flattened ears were anything to go by. "Mousy," Eir approaches her carefully. "-Bruce is going to stay here while we go save the others. I want you to stay with him, okay? Stick close to him and whatever he says, you do. Only come to me when I call so you can pick up some guests to bring back. Got it?"

Since Bruce makes no objection to staying or having Mousy as company, Mousy nods in agreement. As she scampers off to Bruce's side and holds tight to his pant leg as a nervous child would a parent, Eir straddles her broom and connects her wand to a small spinning contraption that is at the tip of her broom, allowing her wand to spin freely.

"Okay, so who's going with who?" Natasha eyes Eir's broom warily.

Steve eyes the broom as well and shakes his head. "The broom is too small for me."

"And I'm not hugging Thor." Clint dead-pans.

"Neither am I!" Steve blushes, having to pull on his cowl to hide it as Eir snickers at him.

Natasha rolls her eyes and steps up to Thor's side, claiming she'd travel with him as Steve steps up to Tony's side. Clint groans but goes to Eir nonetheless, the witch lowering her broom low enough for Clint to straddle as well.

The moment Clint gets settled and puts his feet up on the tiny foot-holdings, Eir hovers them over to the balcony doors behind Tony and Steve who opened said doors and have stepped out into the night's air. The moment Eir hovers higher, she feels Clint grab at her waist as she leaves the safety of the tower and hovers mid-air with the city below them. Tony grips Steve by the straps that held his shield before using his thrusters to make them hover out in mid-air as well while Natasha sighs and turns to Thor, letting him hug her to himself as he starts to twirl Mjölnir in hand.

"Point me Virginia Potts." Eir calls out once more, he wand spinning freely in it's holstered state before stopping in the direction they need to go. Once she has a direction, Eir flashes the team a smile before peering over her shoulder at Clint. "You might wanna hang on tight, Bird Boy. We're about to hit speeds you wouldn't expect a broom to go."

Clint snorts but still lightly snakes his arms around her waist. The moment she leans forward on her broom and they shoot off into the night, Clint holds on tighter for dear life and actually prays they make it there in one piece.

* * *

**I don't mean to make the boys seem homophobic with not wanting to hug Thor as a way of travelling so please don't take it the wrong way. It's just these boys are so macho that I figured they'd not want to be seen hugging Thor in fear it'd emasculate them. That probably isn't a good excuse but I really do mean it in all great fun.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Previously on A Second Chance..**

" _Point me Virginia Potts." Eir calls out once more, he wand spinning freely in it's holstered state before stopping in the direction they needed to go. Once she had a direction, Eir flashed the team a smile before peering over her shoulder at Clint. "You might wanna hang on tight, Bird Boy. We're about to hit speeds you wouldn't expect a broom to go."_

_Clint snorted but still lightly snaked his arms around her waist. The moment she leaned forward on her broom and they shot off into the night, Clint held on tighter for dear life and actually prayed they made it there in one piece._

It takes only a minute to fly several miles out and another few seconds for Eir to circle above a cluster of abandoned buildings before finding the exact building that has her wand dipping downward to Pepper's location.

She lands quietly a few blocks away with the rest of the team following and pointing out which building it is they're going to infiltrate. Clint had surprisingly took to the broom ride quite well but she still catches him muttering about how brooms and men don't mix because it hurts certain 'equipment'.

Since Eir is the girl with the wand, she and Tony- who is just eager, if not more, to get Pepper back- leads the team through the darkened allies. Clint and Natasha are battle ready- bow and guns trained towards the ground as their eyes are peeled for any signs of a threat as they follow, and Thor and Steve bring up the rear of the group.

The boarded up, grimy abandoned building is soon in view and instead of taking a slow and quiet approach, Tony blasts open a dingy metal door with the repulsor in his hand. Eir groans at his lack of stealth but only grips her wand tighter and holds it out in front of her in case of an attack.

"Where do we look now?" Natasha murmurs as she and Clint come in behind them.

"Search it from bottom to top," Eir answers. "I can't use the point me spell because I need my wand duel ready."

Natasha falls back, letting Tony and Eir lead when they suddenly hear Tony ask JARVIS to scan the building they're in. There's a moment of silence where they guess JARVIS is speaking with Tony through his mask before they see Tony nod and point upward. "Fourth floor. JARVIS picked up two human heat signatures but he also picked up on magical signatures. Stay sharp."

The group gives their hum of confirmation and they immediately come to an understanding that they're about to speed up through the floors since Tony now has a lock on Pepper. Sure enough, they're walking far too quickly to actually keep a decent look-out but no-one dares speak against Iron Man when he's on a mission to get his lady back. Instead of keeping an eye on their surroundings, they're busy side-stepping overturned and dust covered crates, and stepping over rubbish that has been left behind to age and wither away.

They quickly find themselves coming to the fourth floor, the group stalling and preparing themselves for what they're about to see on the other side of the door. Once Eir's sure everyone has their emotions on lock down, she swings open the door and the scene before them is the most cliché finding the group will probably laugh about in the future.

Pepper and another woman- Jane, Eir guesses by Thor's relieved sigh- are seated and tied to wooden chairs that are placed back to back. Dirtied white cloth has been tied around their mouths as well as their eyes while a single dangling light shines down on them from above. Their clothes appear dirty but the women don't seem to have suffered any forms of torture. The moment Tony's boot clunks down on the concrete floor just inside the door, both female's attention zero in on the noise and immediately start to struggle against their bindings, muffled words reaching their ears.

Tony and Thor are quick to break formation, each man running to their respective female but Eir is quick to intervene and throw up a shield that has Thor and Tony being shoved back. Thor bellows in outrage, raising his hammer as if to attack the shield when Eir calls out.

"Don't! That was me. I shielded them." She rushes forward putting herself in front of Thor and gesturing for Tony to move away from the so-called Pepper. "Deatheaters are sneaky. They'll impersonate anyone and we need to make sure these two are who we think they are." Pepper seems to slump and nod, agreeing with Eir's words as the brunette struggles even harder. Her muffled cries of outrage fall on deaf ears as Thor frowns but he moves to stand with Tony to the side when Eir takes the lead to lower the covers over the women's eyes. "We'll need to remove the gags but keep them bound just in case they aren't who they say they are."

Tony and Thor are quick to make work of hurrying forward and removing the cloth from their mouths, Pepper sighing out in relief while Jane takes a moment to ask what's going on. "What is this? And who's the one calling the shots?!" She struggles harder, voice harsh as her gaze darts between Thor and Eir. "Is it really necessary to keep us tied up?"

"Yes," Eir deadpans, not letting this new female's words deter her. "We've already been fooled once and we won't let you go until we know who you are." She gives the women a moment to ask anything they want but when all Jane does is continue to glare, she continues on. "Tony will ask Pepper one question that only the real Pepper will know and Thor will do the same with Jane. If you get it right, you're free. If not, well then I actually feel pretty sorry for you," she finishes, staring each woman in the eye to make sure they know they were not messing around.

Pepper nods in understanding and Tony steps up to her as Steve, Clint, and Natasha spread out behind them keeping their eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. Wracking his mind for a question, Tony sighs a little in relief when he finally has one. "When we successfully completed Stark Tower, what percentage did I say you owned and that you've never let me live down?"

The room goes silent as Pepper thinks about it for a few seconds. "Twelve percent!" Every set of eyes then swivel back to Tony to see his reaction and when he smiles in relief, a bit of tension drains from the room. Tony makes quick work of pulling Pepper's bindings apart before pulling her into his arms where he knew she'd be safe once again.

Thor fidgets nervously as his team then stares at him, forcing him to look at Jane with his question. "When I first arrived in New Mexico, who was it that bested me with a tiny lightning weapon?"

Eir actually snorts but Jane is quick to answer. "Darcy! She tased you."

Thor beams before he, too, rips apart Jane's binding, pulling the petite woman into his arms and sighing out in relief. As Tony and Thor each check over their love's for any signs of abuse, Eir takes that time to kick their chairs out of the way as she searches the other side of the room for any signs of any other person.

"Was it just you two here?" Natasha suddenly voices. "We're missing another person but we're not sure if they brought her here."

Pepper and Jane snap their attention to the red-head, eyes filling with tears. "They had Samantha here with us," Pepper admits. "But they said she outlived her purpose and they.." She trails off, her form shaking as she starts to sob. "They.."

"We think they killed her," Jane's meek voice then answers. "They made her beg for death and they had this stick that produced a green light," she recalled. "When it hit her, she went still and quiet."

The room goes silent at the admission, every pair of eyes then traveling to Eir who is breathing hard and gripping her wand tight in hand. "Avada Kedavra," she mutters. "The instant death spell." The room grows eerily somber before Eir shakes her head clear and takes one last look around the empty room. Her spine suddenly straightens and the hairs on the back of her neck and arms stand on edge. "Let's go," she abruptly calls out, her eyes never leaving that of the walls surrounding them. "Finding them was easy, too easy and I'm getting a bad vibe from this room."

No-one dares question Eir when her senses are telling her something, and instead Tony and Thor pull Pepper and Jane closer to them. Clint and Natasha ready their weapons once more, eyes darting around the room and Steve grips his shield protectively in front of him. Tony and Thor move first, wanting to escort Jane and Pepper to safety as the other three Avengers cover their back. Clint and Natasha take their eyes off the walls to follow, and Steve gestures for Eir to come to him so he can walk out after her. She nods with a grim smile, trying to shake off the bad vibe that the room is continuing to give her.

She's in the middle of the room, under the dangling light where Pepper and Jane had been tied up when it suddenly happens. The excruciating pain catches her off guard that her body's arching as she stretches up on tiptoes, a scream ripping through her throat. She falls on all fours, wand clattering to the ground as every muscle in her body convulse and feels like it's on fire.

The color from Steve's face completely drains but the second he takes one step forward, figures clad in black cloaks and black masks bleed out from the shadows, and immediately surround Eir only leaving a small gap in the middle so Eir's form is still visible to the Avengers.

Wands are pointed threateningly, tips aglow and pointed at the assembled heroes. Natasha and Clint fall back, each assassin falling in step on either side of Tony and Thor who have pushed their trembling girlfriends behind them. Steve stands upfront, shield poised to protect him should they start firing spells and all the while, Eir is still screaming and clawing at the ground in agony.

"Stop- stop it!" He grounds out.

Only one deatheater laughs, a raspy chuckle as he or she step forward towards Eir, wand pointed at her screaming form. "Look at what we have here," s _he_ taunts from behind the mask. "A filthy muggle coming to the aide of the blood-traitor."

"You'll kill her!" Steve yells, taking another step forward only to have several wands take aim at him. "Please," he finally grits out.

The deatheater torturing Eir raises her wand and all that's heard in the room is Eir's stifled sobbing and harsh panting as she tries to regain her breath. "Does the muggle have  _feelings_ for this traitor?" She muses aloud with a cold laugh, kicking Eir's wand to a fellow deatheater who picks it up. "Does the traitor keep your bed warm? Hmm."

Steve clenches his jaw in anger and ignores the taunting questions. "She's one of our own. If you leave now and go back to your where you came from, we won't follow."

"As if you could," she coos back and faster than anyone anticipated, she has a fistful of Eir's hair gripped in her hand as she hauls the suddenly exhausted witch up. Holding Eir in front of her and acting as a body shield, the deatheater holds her wand to Eir's throat. "Let's see if you still consider her one of your own when she tries to kill you." Moving her wand to Eir's temple, she mutters the one spell Eir had wished she was never the victim of ever again.  _"Imperio."_

Steve and Tony's eyes immediately widen at the tell-tale sign of Eir's body suddenly going lax, her eyes clouding over as she stares straight ahead. "No," Steve breathes in heartbreaking awe.

Hearing the panicked anguish in his teammate's voice, Thor immediately starts to twirl his hammer in hand, wind starting to blow softly in the room as thunder rolls ominously outside when another deatheater waggles their finger at him. "Not so fast, Asgardian,"  _h_ _e_ tutts mockingly and at their incredulous looks of shock, he grins evilly behind his mask. "Oh yes, we know who you are, Son of Odin. We've done our research." Thor continues to twirl his hammer, jaw clenching the longer the man speaks. "Knock if off, you big oaf! You call upon the lightning in here and we're all dead. Including your precious muggles.," he snarls.

Realization dawns on the God and he immediately slows down the twirling of his hammer. Clint and Natasha fidget in their stances, itching to start firing but they can't risk making a move too soon and scaring off some of the deatheaters with Eir in tow. The deatheater gripping Eir's hair suddenly yanks back and the fact that Eir doesn't whimper in pain or struggle to be free has the Avengers very unsettled.

"Fight it, Eir!" Steve suddenly pleads, breaking formation once more as he takes yet another step closer. "Don't let them win."

"Oh, look at what we have here," the insane deatheater holding Eir hostage cackles. "Is that love I see in your eyes, Mr. America? Do you love the filthy traitor?"

..

..

Eir feels like she's having an outer body experience- well, outer mind experience is more like it. She's staring straight ahead, watching Steve's anguished features harden and then break when he can't seem to control his emotions. She understands that he's fearful for her life but they all knew the danger they were getting into.

The rest of the Avengers are rather livid, minds seemingly calculating a plan to get to her without harming her, and the woman who's holding Eir sounds eerily familiar.

"Oh, look at what we have here," the insane deatheater who Eir's desperately trying to place cackles. "Is that love I see in your eyes, Mr. America? Do you love the filthy traitor?" Steve doesn't answer but his gaze does harden before flickering down to her own gaze. Eir wants to so bad to fight but her body won't cooperate with her. All she can do is stare and blink as she's trapped in her own mind. "What do you say to livening things up a bit, hmm? Eir, darling, kill the Avengers."

" _No. NO! I won't do it._ " Trapped in her own mind, Eir can't speak her opinion. She blinks slowly, staring dead ahead as her own wand is slipped back into her grasp.

"Kill them. Start with the one who cares most for you."

" _Run! Please, run! I can't- I can't-_ "

She can see the shocked faces of the Avengers and even the shocked and confused faces of Jane and Pepper in the background. "Eir, fight it. Fight them! Don't let them do this to you," Steve shouts.

The deatheaters start to chuckle, gleeful at the predicament that Earth's Mightiest Heroes have been dropped in. "Avada-"

"No, Eir, stop! This isn't you. Fight her!" Steve's face contorts with grief before he quickly masks it, and Natasha and Clint swivel their weapons in Eir's direction reluctantly.

"Kill him!"

" _No, please, don't make me.._  Avad-"

"Eir, please," Steve pleads as the deatheater's laugh get louder. "Fight it."

"Come on, kiddo. Don't let the wench beat you," Tony voices. "We know you're stronger than this."

" _Oh, Merlin, Tony. I wish I was._ Avad-" Her arm starts to shake, her wand losing it's target. " _Oh, please, please let me be strong enough._ Avada Kedav-" Tears start streaming down her face now, the team watching helplessly as she tries to fight off whatever hold they have over her.

"KILL HIM!"

Eir's arm shakes harder now, "Avada Kedavr-  _NO!"_ Her free hand slaps her wand arm down, her wand clattering to her feet. Steve and Tony visibly sigh out in relief but before Eir can actually overcome the entire mind control, there's a hand in her hair and wand at her neck once more.

..

..

The deatheater holding Eir tuts disapprovingly. "Now, now, love. Mummy taught you better than that." Eir is immediately relieved of the imperious curse only to freeze upon hearing the woman's words. Even the Avengers team seem to have frozen where they stand, eyes wide as they stare at Eir and the woman holding her. The wand briefly leaves Eir neck, the deatheater's mask disappearing in a cloud of smoke as she's revealed. She has the same facial structure as Eir and the same eyes but salt and pepper hair hangs limply down to the middle of her back in greasy waves. Eyes are sunken in, wild with anger and glee as she cackles manically. "Let's go, lovely. Time to go home and re-educate that mind of yours." She grips Eir by the neck now and before Natasha and Clint can even fire off and take down any of the deatheaters, they all disappear in clouds of smoke right before their eyes.

There's a brief moment of shocked silence before it's broken by the team's angry confusion.

"Fuck!" Tony yells, his shout echoing around the room.

"Was that really her-"

"Mum?" Natasha cuts off Clint with a nod of her head. "I think it was."

* * *

**I'm sorry this chapter is short as the previous one was. Looking back, I should have combined the two but what's done is done. Luckily for you lot, the remaining chapters of this fic are all +4K words :)**


	18. Chapter 18

Eir feels like she's been clobbered on the back of her head when she comes to.

Her head is aching, her vision is blurry, and she has a serious case of cotton mouth. There's an intense amount of pressure on her shoulders and when she tries to move to see why, she figures it out right away. Fear seizes her heart when she realizes that her feet aren't even on the ground. Her wrists are shackled above her head to a point where's she's dangling and only her tiptoes scrape against the more-than-likely grime covered ground. The more she struggles with her constraints, the more she swings in mid-air and realizes that there's a wall about a foot behind her.

There's not much light in the room to begin with, candlelit sconces burning low, and it doesn't take Eir long to realize the room she's in. It's cold, semi-dark, and the walls surrounding her are cave-like stone. Water drips echo somewhere in the room and the only doorway is the one straight ahead where a set of stairs go up.

She's in a dungeon.

A dungeon that she grew quite familiar with when she was a child.

She's home.

..

..

The next time Eir comes to, it's because someone's throwing ice cold water on her face. As she splutters and yelps at the sudden temperature change her body undergoes, she blinks furiously and coughs as her eyes adjust to the dim lighting once more.

The woman standing before her is easily recognizable. She still looks the same as the last time Eir's seen her though her Mum has appeared to have lost some weight. Her facial structure is more pointy, hair longer and styled in waves other than her usual up-kept bun, and eyes dark and cold as her Mum sneers at her.

"Hello, darling. Long time no see."

"Sod. Off." Eir grits through clenched teeth.

A resounding  _slap!_ of flesh meeting flesh- palm meeting cheek- echoes around the room. Eir's head snaps to the side at the impact of her Mum's hit, the younger witch biting her tongue to keep from yelping out. She'd do anything and everything to ruin her Mother's satisfaction.

"Those bloody American's have rubbed off on you," she scowls. "Let's see how exactly we're going to fix that."

The gleam of a silver dagger catches Eir's eye, the blade sliding out from her own Mum's sleeve. At the sudden widening of eyes, Eir's mother cackles in glee at having gotten the expected reaction from her traitorous daughter.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

Thor lands on the balcony of the ninety-third floor. With everyone so immersed in their thoughts about Eir's disappearance, no-one bats an eye at his sudden appearance or his sudden rushing inside.

"Is there any news about Lady Banning's whereabouts?" He immediately asks.

Steve is too busy pacing and keeping his anger in check as to not break any furniture that Tony is the one to answer. "No," he shakes his head. "JARVIS can't get a lock down on her anywhere and Mousy is too distraught to even listen to us to see if she can find her. We're not even sure she's still in the States."

At Tony's words, one of the sofa chairs is kicked clean across the living room. Given how close Steve and Eir had seemed ever since they both moved into the Tower, no-one comments when Steve finally loses hold on his temper. Hell, Tony could afford a new sofa chair if need be.

"I see," Thor mutters sadly. "And how is Lady Pott's faring?"

"She's shaken up," Tony admits. "But Mousy is taking care of her in between breakdowns. Both ladies are trying to comfort each other," he then adds. "Bruce said Mousy started wailing the moment the fake snow stopped falling from the ceiling. Apparently they thought spells only wore off if the caster is dead so it took a while for us to calm Mousy down with assurance that Eir was still alive before she followed Pepper out of the room."

"Jane is the same as well," Thor sighs sadly. "She doesn't know what's going on and I only left with promises of showing back up after we rescue Lady Banning to explain everything."

"Guys, really?!" Steve finally snaps. "Not that I'm happy for Jane and Pepper being alive and well but we need to find Eir! She won't get the same treatment as they did."

Steve rarely lost his temper, especially over a girl, so no-one reprimands America's favorite son about showing compassion. Instead, there are brisk nods shared all around the room as they quiet down and put their minds together.

"If we can't use JARVIS to scan for facial recognition, what about Mousy?" Clint asks.

Tony shakes his head. "Last time I was in the room, she was wailing and inconsolable. She won't-" The genius abruptly trails off, eyes darting back and forth over everything yet nothing at the same time.

"Tony?" Steve pauses mid-stride, brows furrowing in confusion. "What is it?"

Without a word, Tony shoots up from his seat on a bar stool and nearly sprints towards the bookcase where Eir left nearly every magical book she had. "We can't count on JARVIS or Mousy at the moment but what about a fellow magic wielder?" He tells them, fingers running over every spine of the books that sat there, careful to move over Eir's abandoned wand that Steve had picked up after they disappeared. With a shout of triumph, he finds the one he was looking for. A journal. "When Eir first came here, she showed us every magical object she owned," he shows them said journal with hope suddenly filling him. "She used this to talk to her friend witch. What was her name?" He then asks Steve.

"Hermione," Steve immediately blurts as he eyes the journal. "Yeah, I- I remember that now."

"Exactly," Tony beams. "All we have to do is write and hope Hermione writes back right away. Maybe they can track her down and we can all swoop in and save the day."

"What are you waiting for then? Try and contact her!" Natasha practically glares at Tony for wasting time.

Tony huffs but does as told before going back to the bookshelf to look for a pen. There was no way he was going to attempt writing with one of her quills and ink pot. It takes him a few seconds and he ends up finding a pen tucked in the back towards the top shelf. Since they had nothing to lose, Tony quickly opens up to a blank page and puts the pen to paper.

_Hermione? Anyone there? It's Tony Stark.. and it's urgent!_

As one, the room seems to hold their breath as Tony stares down at the opened journal. "It's not doing anything. Why isn't it fading away?!" He mutters frantically, shaking the journal as if that would make the words sink in. "Maybe she's-" The words tumbling from his mouth cease and a grin forms when the words finally disappears and a very feminine scrawl took their place.

_Mr. Stark? What's wrong? What's happened?_

"She wants to know what's happened? Do I tell her or skirt around?"

"Tell her," Steve opts for the truthful route. "Tell her a mission to save two civilians went awry and Eir got taken by deatheaters. Her magic would prove most useful at this time."

All the while Steve spoke, Tony jotted down his words in the journal. A moment later, they disappeared and Hermione's reply took it's place.

_Do you have a fireplace? If so, I need the exact name of residence and/or door number if you're in an apartment._

"Fireplace?" Tony scoffs, shaking his head in disbelief before looking up at the worried team. "She wants to know if we have a fireplace and the exact address."

"Just give it to her!" Steve snaps yet again, this time being able to reign his temper back in before he kicked something else across the room.

"Alright.. alright," Tony sighs while writing down  _Avengers Tower- Floor 93._

_.._

_.._

Minutes have ticked by ever since Tony gave Hermione the address she requested. The team is one big ball of nerves, knees bouncing in anticipation, Thor watching helplessly from sitting atop a bar stool, and Steve pacing a path back and forth in front of the fireplace. Every now and then, gazes would dart to the fireplace- the fireplace that's currently dark and empty.

Steve is going out of his mind yet he manages to keep a cool expression on the outside. Eir and her safety and her whereabouts are running through his mind, and the longer they wait for Hermione, the more anxious he is becoming. But the moment he is about to snap and rethink a new plan, the fireplace sparks and crackles but it's the color that catches their attention the most.

As everyone stands to gather and peer at the suspicious green sparks, they're even more alarmed as a full blown green fire explodes to life in the fireplace. And a few seconds later, a female figure slides out before quickly scrambling to her feet. Guns and Mjölnir are directed at the newest addition, doubt flickering behind their eyes as they take in the simple jeans, a purple cotton jacket beneath a jean jacket, and the braided hair of a female who looks rather young. It's only Steve's reaction that has them lowering weapons.

"Hermione, you made it," he breathes out in relief, rushing forward and actually hugging the witch.

"Wha- how?" Tony murmurs, his eyes darting back and forth between his fireplace and the witch who just slid out from said fireplace. "How did you do that?!"

"Uh, Steve?" Hermione mutters, awkwardly patting him on the back ignoring the other man's mutterings. "Captain America? Really?"

He quickly pulls out of the hug with a sheepish smile and shrug. "To be fair, I didn't know you were witches."

Hermione opens her mouth to retort, only to close her mouth and shrug with a grin. "Fair. And it's called  _Flooing,_ by the way," she adds, peering over at the one and only Tony Stark. "Another form of traveling for our kind."

Tony gapes for a second before sighing. "Your magical books don't have everything," he pouts. "When we get Eir back, you lot are spilling  _everything_!"

The newest witch laughs and quickly nods before giving her attention to Steve once more. "Speaking of Eir, what really happened? Mr. Stark was quite vague." After a quick glance to the mentioned man, Steve gives her the explanation she deserves.

"We were being watched and didn't know it," he tells Hermione. "The deatheaters infiltrated the Tower by having one of their own- I think Eir said it was polyjuice?- take the form of Tony's girlfriend's secretary. They studied us and found a few weaknesses," he admits with a sigh. "They kidnapped Pepper and Jane- Tony and Thor's girlfriends- and the deatheater who was staying here the entire time said they wanted a trade. The muggles for the blood-traitor." Hermione tenses, jaw clenched as the story progressed. "Eir was quite pissed, especially since she's grown quite close to Pepper and formed a plan of rescue. We found the girls quite easily and they admitted to having watched the other deatheaters torture and kill Pepper's real secretary. Before we could leave though, they bled out from the shadows and boxed in Eir."

"Her scream," Natasha suddenly mumbles, eyes slightly glazed as she recalls the Eir's screams. "-it was like she was in agony. She was fine one second and the next, it-"

"Cruciatus," Hermione frowns. "It's an ugly curse."

"Yes. It is," Steve sighs, running his fingers through his hair. "Then they put her under some sort of mind control," he admits. "Her  _mother-_ yes, her mother-" Steve clarifies when Hermione gasps. "-tried to get Eir to kill us but she fought it off. Then they just disappeared with her."

Hermione goes silent for a few seconds, color draining from her face before she steels herself and starts to pace. "Do you mind if I call in reinforcements?"

"By all means, go ahead," Tony encourages her. "The more the merrier."

Hermione nods tightly before unsheathing her wand from her boot. With a flick and muttered  _expecto patronum,_ the team watches as an ethereal otter flies from the tip of her wand and bounces around the room before stopping in front of the witch with it's mouth open. "It's worse than we thought. Eir's mum seems to have banned together deatheaters to kidnap Eir. They need our help, Harry, and you know I wouldn't ask for help unless this was a life or death situation. I'm in America right now so floo over as soon as possible. If it really is Eir's mum, she won't have much time left. Floo to Avengers Tower- Floor 93. We'll be waiting." The moment the otter closes it's mouth, Hermione directs the otter to take the message to Harry.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

Eir is screaming her throat raw, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes as she struggles to free her arms that are currently being pinned to the dungeon floor. Two masked deatheaters are holding Eir's arms down while her vile bitch of a mum is straddling her legs and carving letter after letter into the pale flesh of her abdomen.

"All you had to do was fall in line. Serve your Lord faithfully and keep your mouth shut," Eir's mum mutters darkly, eyes intent on the word she is carving into her own daughter's flesh. "But no. You had to betray him. Betray  _us!_ " She snarls, pressing deeper than necessary with her blade causing Eir to cry out again. "You left your own flesh and blood behind and even murdered your Father.  _My husband!_ "

"Get.. over it, Nadia!" Eir grits out, refusing to call her  _Mum_ and fighting against the pain that's pulsing from her swollen face. Her face feels like it's on fire, swollen from the numerous hits she's received since she's been taken hostage. If she wasn't in such a dangerous situation, she'd have laughed at the way these so called purebloods were beating her like muggles. "That's old news."

_Slap!_ Eir receives another hit to her already bruised face, the young witch hissing in pain. "I am your Mother! I demand respect."

Eir bites her tongue but can't keep her retort in. "You're an insane cow. I have no mother."

Nadia leans back, tucking her dagger away while looking down at her handy work. "There. Now everyone will know your true nature," she grins quite madly. Turning to the side, Nadia dips her hand into some milky concoction that one of her minions brought down earlier, scooping some up in her hand and smearing it across Eir's abdomen. Eir screams yet again, wiggling to get free but it's no use. Whatever liquid her mother just smeared into her handy work, it stung like nothing she's ever felt before. Walking her fingers under each carved letter, Nadia speaks aloud each letter. "T-R-A-I-T-O-R. Traitor," she sing-songs.

"You're a bunch of hypocrites!" Eir spits, picking her up head and glaring as much as she could with swollen eyes. "Where's your wand,  _Nadia_? Doing everything the muggle way- I thought you despised everything muggle?"

"Oh, we do, darling," she coos as the two deatheaters holding Eir down chuckle. "But I must admit, muggles are quite creative with their torture. We've figured out if you do the dirty work like a muggle, it's harder for the Ministry to track you down. No pesky wand to be traced."

"You're a monster," Eir whimpers in pain. "When my friends find you, they'll kill you."

Nadia smirks before looking at both deatheaters and gesturing for them to let up on holding down Eir. Once her arms are free, Eir moves to pull down her shirt. "Your friends? Your friends are a bunch of incompetent fools," she sneers. "They couldn't even protect one little muggle- that  _Samantha_  twit- so what makes you think they can protect you?" Eir remains quiet, glaring at her Mum and letting the fool tell her anything and everything they can use to convict her should she make it out of here alive."We needed a way in to the Tower and they gave us an opportunity when the Potts woman hired a new worker just ripe for the picking," she laughs madly.. and bingo. This is what Eir needs to put the psychopath away. "It was easy to kidnap the girl after a day or two of work and impersonate her. And it was even easier to roam the Tower and study each and every one of the so-called Avengers to find their weaknesses. Funnily enough, the weaknesses we did find just happened to be more muggles." Eir thinks about bucking off Nadia but she really doesn't want any more torture. Her body needs a rest. And the moment Eir doesn't pay Nadia attention for more than five seconds, fingers gripped her face harshly and bring her head up off the floor. "Let your friends come," she smirks. "They can try to find you but until then, I think there are some people who are quite cross with you for getting our Lord killed."

Nadia is gone in the next second and just when Eir finds a moment to breath easily, a kick lands to her side. Eir cries out, curling in on herself only to have another kick landing harshly square to her chest. All the air is sucked from her lungs and a split second later, Eir is sobbing as she tries to regain her breath. Kick after kick is landed to her abdomen, sides, and ribs and all too soon the pain becomes too much and Eir gives in to the darkness.

Nadia smirks cruelly as she watches her daughter fall unconscious. Coming to America and battling Earth's Mightiest Heroes was what they intended to do without that bloody Harry Potter interfering, but finding out that Eir was aligned with them.. well that was just a coincidence. A coincidence that they cashed in on when the time was right.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

As it turns out, Hermione is a nervous cook. With no telling when Harry got the message or how long it'd take him to get ready, Hermione started loitering about in the kitchen before she found sandwich ingredients and made herself one. When Thor kept stealing glances at her food, Hermione made him a couple sandwiches as well and soon enough, Tony was asking if he could have one followed by Clint.

Natasha had rolled her eyes, making her way into the kitchen to help the witch feed her always hungry friends while getting herself a bit to eat after Hermione assured them they were going to need their strength for the upcoming battle.

Just as Hermione found time to bite again into her own sandwich, the fireplace sparked and flared to life. As the team stood behind the sofa, they watched as a male slid out from the fireplace, soot covering his face and dark head of hair quite messy. He rearranged a set of round glasses on his face, blinking ridiculous green eyes as to adjust his vision before smiling sheepishly and waving at Hermione.

"Er, 'Mione," he greets her while fidgeting from foot to foot and grinning sheepishly. "Don't get mad but you should have known better to send a patronus when Ginny is in the same room."

"Ginny?" Hermione raises a curious eyebrow at her friend, crossing her arms over her chest as her eyes flicker to the fireplace when the green fire doesn't die out. Seconds later, another figure slides out.

This time, it's a female with a head of shocking red hair that falls down to the middle of her back. She seems a bit younger than Hermione and the man who they were guessing was Harry. "Hullo," She nervously greets the room at large before her gaze lands on Hermione, a relieved smile taking over her features. "Heard about Eir. Thought I'd come to see what help I could be."

"Thank you, Ginny," Hermione nods and yet, the green fire doesn't go out in the fireplace. "Er- are we expecting someone else?"

Before the two newest guests could answer, yet another figure slides out. This man is tall and rather lanky, face pale and freckled as red hair stood up in different directions. The Avengers eye the new man warily, noticing he only has one ear. "Heya, 'Mione."

"George?" Hermione mutters in awe. "What are you doing here?"

"Was jus' talking to the sis when your message came," he shrugs. "Figured I'd tag along. I know what Eir thinks about me and it's about time Eir gets it through her thick skull that I don't hate her or blame her."

Hermione smiles kindly at her friends, watching as Ginny proudly hip checks her brother rather playfully. "Thank you. I've tried telling her but she doesn't-"

"Uh, would someone like to make introductions?" Tony cuts in. "I'm a bit confused. I thought we were waiting on Harry."

"I'm Harry," Harry voices, raising his hand. "This is Ginny, my girlfriend." Ginny now waves to them once more. "And that's George, Ginny's brother."

George gives the room an impish grin. "Nice to meet you lot. Never dreamed I'd meet the Avengers but I'll fangirl later." He winks at Natasha who doesn't know what to think of these new witches and wizards. "We got a witch to get back."

Hermione introduces Steve not only as Eir's friend but hers as well, and then lets Steve take over as he introduces everyone else to her friends. Introductions are quick and everyone soon finds themselves standing around the bar counter top and kitchen counters and they try to figure out what they can do to track down Eir.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, 'Mione," Harry interrupts their meeting. "But when we do pinpoint Eir's location, there's not much we can do. We're on American soil, remember? And as Aurors, we can't do anything unless we want a war on our hands."

Hermione frowns but doesn't argue. She knew her position as an Auror would render them useless but she was hoping that Harry wouldn't have said anything. She was willing to overlook that piece of information as long as she wasn't spotted by any American Officials.

"Bollocks!" Ginny fumes. "I'm no Auror. I'll fight."

"Me too," George pipes in.

Steve nods gratefully at the brother/sister duo who was willing to risk everything to get Eir back. Harry takes a moment to remind Ginny of the consequences should they get caught but it's Clint who breaks the tension and makes their rescue plan a whole lot easier.

"You guys might not have to risk war," he tells them. "When Eir's mom took her, she told her  _let's go home_ before disappearing. What if she really took her  _home_?"

Harry pauses before looking to Hermione, the wizard seeming to realize that there might be a chance he can actually fight. "'Mione, did Eir have her childhood home torn down before leaving for the States?"

Hermione nervously bites her lip before slowly shaking her head. "No. She just had it cleaned out and left it."

Harry suddenly beams as do Ginny and George. "You know what this means then, right?" And now Hermione's smiling too. "If they did go back home, it's on our turf. We're free to do as we wish."

Just as the group of witches and wizards get excited about the newest piece of information, the elevator dings and opens up on their floor revealing a rather annoyed Agent Maria Hill. She's decked out in her own S.H.I.E.L.D catsuit uniform, hair perfectly gelled back into a tight bun, and weapon holstered at her hip. The second she strolls into view, her hand automatically hovers by her weapon as she eyes the new additions.

"Maria," Tony bats his eyelashes at her. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

She quickly scowls at Tony for the use of her first name. "I'm here on behalf of Director Fury. He'd like to know what the hell's going on that has this place lighting up his radar with magical signatures."

The room falls silent at Agent's Hill's words but not one of the new magical beings back down under her stare. After a few moment's of silence tick on by, Harry claps Tony on the back of his Iron Man suit. "You tell her, mate. Hermione and I need to make a quick port-key to get us all to our new location. It'd be very uncomfortable to floo back from that tiny fireplace of yours."

Tony huffs at anything of his being called  _tiny_  but does as he's told when Steve glares him into submission. Though this is a moment of seriousness, the other's can't help but to grin at Tony being the one under Steve's glare. As the witches and wizards step aside and start pulling down garland from the walls, Steve catches a patronus or two being summoned and then being sent off moments later.

"They took Eir," Tony finally admits, gaining Maria's attention. "The deatheaters kidnapped Pepper and Jane, and in return they wanted Eir," he sighs sadly.

Maria's eyes go wide in astonishment. "You traded her!"

"Of course not!" Tony immediately denies. "But she wouldn't stay here while we went to go rescue Pepper and Jane. The building looked empty but those assholes tricked us. They were waiting in the shadows before they made their move. Now we're going to go get our witch back."

Agent Hill can't believe what she's hearing and actually starts to pace back and forth. "Stark, this is bad. Why didn't you or any of you for that matter," she stares at each Avenger. "-contact S.H.I.E.L.D for help."

Tony is annoyed with being spokesperson but one look at Steve and the man's slowly reddening face of anger lets him know that Steve unleashing his anger on the Agent would be good for no-one. "Because it all happened so fast!" Tony blurts before Steve can start spewing words in anger.

"Got it!" Harry crows from a few feet away. Turning to the Avengers, he smirks at them while holding up a piece of garland. "Let's go. Our ride leaves in a few minutes and Hermione needs to tell you how to hold on for safe travel."

Clint, Natasha, Steve, and Thor make their way to the group of magical beings without a backwards glance at Hill. "Look, it's a long story." Tony calls out over his own shoulder as he makes his way over to the group. "Bruce will stay behind and fill you in. We've got to head to England to get Eir before they kill her."

"But- what about-"

"Mousy!" Tony suddenly calls, cutting off Maria's ramblings. When the tiny house elf appears and goes slack jawed at her Mistress' friends, Tony smirks down at her. "We're gonna get her back pip-squeak, okay? But until then, I'm going to need you to help out down here. Keep Pepper where ever you go and follow Bruce if he leaves. I'm sure S.H.I.E.L.D is going to want to follow to our location so can you be a trooper and give them directions? We're going back to Eir's home where she grew up. Just tell them to hover around and we'll find you when we have Eir."

"O-of course, Mr. Stark," Mousy squeaks. "Mousy will help in whichever way she can." The house elf nods eagerly, disappearing to prepare Pepper for their trip.

"Stark," Hermione calls out. "-hurry. We're about to depart."

Tony nods letting them know he understands before casting one last glace at Bruce and Hill. "Mr. Stark," Maria calls out. "-bring her back. Do whatever it takes."

Tony gulps, not used to seeing Agent Hill rooting for him or the team in one of their personal missions. But with her permission brought some great relief to the other team members. Ginny quickly explains that the garland has been charmed to a specific location that would take them near Eir's home. They had to hold on and hold on tight without letting go until they're told. She quickly explains it's magical travel so, of course, it was going to feel weird.

Once everyone understands, Tony claps Steve on the back. "Ready, Capsicle? Let's go get your girl back."

The last thing anyone sees before being whisked away is Steve's blush at Tony's implication and Harry, Ginny, and George slightly gaping at the man in a new light while Hermione only winks as if she knew it were only a matter of time.

* * *

**Since I'm such crap at writing battles, the battle to get Eir back will be quite fast-paced. You won't see the major fighting, instead, we'll be down in the dungeon with Eir as she hears the fight above.**

**Where do you think they'll land? It has to be somewhere close to Eir's home ;)**


	19. Chapter 19

If Harry and George were being quite honest with themselves then they'd admit that they were a little let down when not one Avenger stumbled upon arriving at their destination via port-key. Everyone seemed to land with air of confidence, even if there were slight bending of knees, but only Thor seemed to actually have liked their way of traveling if his ecstatic smile was anything to go by.

The Avengers are too busy making sure that they were actually in one piece, and that their weapons made the trip as well, that they don't notice Hermione scowling at the room they are currently in.

The drawing room is exactly as she remembered- tall dark purple walls looming overhead with numerous portraits of pure-blood descendants sneering down at them, the ginormous fireplace off to the left side of the room, and large crystal chandeliers hanging overhead. The only difference in the room was that it is much lighter than she remembered, the drapes hanging over the floor to ceiling windows being held open instead of shut tight.

"Really, Harry, did it have to be this room?" Hermione grumbles, sneering back at the portraits that are now glaring at the newcomers. It was only then that she realizes the portraits have been silenced.

Harry loses his usual stoic demeanor and blushes, pulling Ginny in front of him to act as a shield. "Well, it was either this or the cellar."

"Anything is better than this room."

"Uh, what's exactly wrong with this room?" Tony bravely pipes up.

Hermione, Harry, Ginny, and George's gaze all snap to Tony- one look rather annoyed, one embarrassed, and the other two with a bit of pity. But before anyone can answer, a feminine yelp catches their attention. When they turn to the source of the noise, they find a very regal looking aristocrat staring oddly at them. Black straight hair falls down passed her shoulders with two stripes of white/blonde being pulled from either side of her head to the back to keep it all in place.

"M-Mrs. Malfoy," Harry stammers, stumbling forward with a sheepish smile. "We're really sorry for the intrusion but it is a matter of life or death."

"It's fine, Mr. Potter," She nods at him quickly, gaze straying to the oddly dressed newcomers in the room. Turning to look over her shoulder, she calls for her son. "Draco, darling, would you please come here. We have visitors."

"Draco?" Tony murmurs, leaning towards Steve. "Why does that name sound familiar?" Steve brushes him off, his eyes trained on the woman who looks seconds away from bolting from the room though he's quite sure she'd do it with such grace. The man that steps into the room next has Tony snapping his fingers as if he's just figured out the missing piece to the puzzle. " _That_ Draco. The betrothed that was then the unbetrothed, remember? Eir explained it to us."

Draco falters in his steps, eyes wide at the words that just tumbled from the man in a red and gold metal suit. "She told you!" He hisses as stunned eyes swivel to him. "We promised to never speak of that again!"

Mrs. Malfoy hides a grin behind her hand and moves to stand behind her son. "We'll talk about that later, ferret, but right now we really need to go. Thanks for letting us apparate in though," George smirks, tugging his sister towards the only entrance and exit to the room.

"Wait, hold up," Draco calls out, eyes narrowing at each and every one of them. "What the bloody hell is exactly going on? And does the Statute of Secrecy mean nothing to you lot anymore?!"

"It's complicated," Hermione sighs. "And we'll explain another day but right now, we really need to go."

"No!" Draco moves to stand in their way. "You barge into my home so I deserve an explanation."

Steve growls- actually growls and takes a threatening step forward but Thor is quick to pull him back.

"It's a deatheater mission, mate," Harry finally admits. "Mrs. Banning took Eir and we believe she has her next door at their old home."

Not knowing it was possible, Draco seems to have paled even further. "Nadia?" Mrs. Malfoy gasps. "She took-"

"Yes," Steve grits out though he tries his best not to showcase his anger to the lady. "And if you'll please excuse us, we have a friend to go save."

Mrs. Malfoy and Draco don't try to keep them this time though when the group of heroes near the stairs, Draco does call out to Harry. "Potter, you'll keep us in the loop, yeah? She's my friend, too."

"Of course."

The stairs take the group to a rather large hallway, black carpet covering what appears to be a stone floor, and more pale-faced sneering portraits line the walls. They make it to the front door in a matter of seconds, the doors swinging open upon their arrival, but Harry pauses the group right there to make a small speech.

"We don't know for sure if the deatheaters are there or how many there are," Harry admits to the group. "All I know is that if they are there, I want one person invisible and scouting the floors of the home looking for Eir. You'll have to be stealthy and keep an eye out for any wayward spells at the same time."

The team all glance at one another before Natasha nods and raises her hand. "I can do it. Just tell me where to start first."

Harry offers her a smile before nodding at Hermione who suddenly has a beaded lavender bag in hand. Reaching in, the team isn't as surprised to see that nearly her whole arm fits inside the tiny thing. "You'll be wearing my cloak of invisibility," Harry tells Natasha. "Keep it wrapped around you at all times and be quiet. Your best bet to start looking will be the dungeon of Banning Manor."

Natasha nods, accepting the shimmering pile of cloth that Hermione hands over. Harry reaches forward, finding the right way to wear the cloak before handing back and telling her to drape it around her shoulders. Once she does so, Clint gapes as the only visible thing of his partner is her floating head. With a wink thrown to Clint, Natasha pulls on it's hood and disappears from view, only grabbing on to Clint's arm so he knew where she was.

"Okay," Harry claps. "Once we've blown our way in, every deatheater is fair game. Try not to kill if you can, we'd really like these prats in prison, but if it can't be helped then don't worry about."

Everyone agrees to his terms, Steve sighing in relief now that they are about to finally get the show on the roll and pulls on his cowl when he realizes it isn't secured yet. Seeing that everyone is ready, Harry leads them outside and down the stone steps only to have their feet immediately meet gravel. Green hedges tower on either side of the driveway with black iron gates waiting for them at the the end.

..

..

Banning Manor looms ahead and the team doesn't know how to feel. On one hand, it looks like the home had once been beautiful in all it's castle like glory but on the other, it's the place where their friend is most likely being held against her will. Harry and Hermione spend a few minutes checking for any wards but nothing is found. Like the Malfoy property, a gravel driveway is lined by tall hedges but Banning Manor seems smaller and more darker.

As they make their way towards the front door, Tony lets his face mask slide down, Steve grips his shield tight, Thor grips Mjölnir in preparation for battle, and Clint readies an arrow. It's going to be tricky to be shooting at close range but he figured he could manage.

They're now closer to the door and instead of slowing down, Hermione and Ginny stride up to the door with confidence. Brandishing their wands, both females flick them furiously over their heads before pointing it the door. With a combined shout of, " _Bombarda maxima!_ ", nearly the entire wall the door resides on blows up.

"Showtime," George smirks arrogantly at the Avengers.

..

..

An explosion rocking the ceiling is what brings Eir back to consciousness.

She doesn't know the time, whether it's day or night, but all she does know is that she's in serious pain. Blood drips down the side of her swollen and bruised face, her shirt is torn open exposing her stinging abdomen, her wrists are back in the shackles with her body hanging limply and her feet barely scraping the ground. She doesn't know if she'll live- she hopes she does- but she knows it's going to be one hell of a fight given the condition she's in.

Shouting can now be heard as well as breaking furniture and glass, and Eir wonders just what the hell is going on. She tries to lift up her head as if doing so would give her better hearing but the moment she moves her neck, pain shoots down her spine.

There's screaming again- manic screaming- and Eir would later swear she heard the words  _blood-traitors_ and  _mudblood._ More explosions sound just as the dungeon door opens bringing in a stream of light from upstairs. Her heart starts pounding when the door doesn't close and the tell-tale sign of  _zinging!_ and  _zapping!_ of two wands connecting in a duel reaches her ears. She doesn't know what's going on upstairs but she knows it can't be good.

There are no footsteps coming down the dungeon stairs or any footsteps inside the room so Eir gets quite a shock when something invisible cups her swollen cheek. Startled, Eir flinches back only to cry out in pain. "No more. No more," She cries. "I can't-"

"Oh, Banning," A feminine voice breathes and right before Eir's swollen eyes, Natasha's head appears before the rest of her body does. "What did they do to you?"

Emotion wasn't something the Black Widow showed very often so the concern and worry etched into her features right now has Eir's heart hammering against her rib cage. She must really look like hell.

As Natasha quickly takes out a small yet handy flashlight and holds it between her teeth, she starts right away to check the shackles at Eir's wrists.

Whatever fight had been going on upstairs doesn't last that long at all and soon enough the door to the dungeon is being shoved open with a familiar voice shouting down the stairwell. "Agent Romanoff?"

Quickly removing the flashlight from her mouth, Natasha hollers back. "Down here, Cap. Bring one of the witches or wizards with you!"

There's quickened steps rushing down the stairwell before Steve- decked out in his Captain America outfit- comes into view. He only comes to a stop when he's directly in front of Eir. "Eir?"

She manages to open her eyes, head slumped to the side as offers him a broken smile. "Steve," she gulps around the pain in her throat. "Please, take me home." Her eyes then flutter shut and her head rolls back.

"Eir? Eir!" Steve shouts, making a move to jostle the witch but Natasha stops him.

"Don't. We don't know the extent of her injuries and you'll only make it worse."

Steve holds himself back though his hands are itching to hold Eir and take her away but he knows his teammate is right. They don't know the extent of her injuries and by the way she looks on the outside, it can't be any better on the inside. More footsteps run down the stairwell and when Natasha and Steve turn around, they find a shell-shocked Hermione who has some dirt covering her cheekbones, hair in disarray, and a bit of blood droppings on her jean jacket.

"I think the shackles are magically bound," Natasha tells her as the witch moves forward. "I can't find any way to open them up and I'm not too sure it's a good idea to move her around much."

Tears fill Hermione eyes as she quickly nods. "Good call, Ms. Romanoff," she says as she moves forward to get a better look at her friend.

"How's the situation up top?" Natasha then asks as Hermione tries to figure out a way to get Eir down.

"Good," the witch answers. "A few them dueled 'til death. The others are knocked out and being tied up as we speak. I think Harry sent off a patronus to get the Auror Squad here."

"And Eir's mother?"

"Not dead," Hermione answers. "But Azkaban isn't your normal prison. She'll more than likely get the Dementor's Kiss."

"And what exactly is that?"

Hermione smirks briefly, meeting Natasha's gaze head on. "She'll have her soul sucked out from her."

More footsteps echo down the stairwell and Ginny makes her appearance- her own appearance similar to that of Hermione's only she has a few visible bumps and bruises. "Harry sent me down. Everyone is waiting upstairs for the Aurors and Tony's flying around trying to pinpoint something called the Helicarrier."

"Good," Hermione states, giving Ginny her full attention. "Come help me with Eir. It's pretty bad so you'll have to either levitate her or open the shackles."

Ginny quickly nods, moving passed Steve and Natasha to stand next to Eir's hanging form with a frown. Quickly, she produces her own wand and points it at Eir. " _Mobillicorpus._ "

Eir's body seems to lift in mid-air, floating higher whenever Ginny moves the tip of her wand upward. Hermione immediately moves in then, tapping her own wand against each shackle on Eir's wrist. Said shackles glow red before clicking open and falling away.

Steve and Natasha seem to sigh in relief at the same time, Hermione adding her own power to help Ginny levitate Eir's body towards the stairwell now. "We need somewhere private to work on her," Hermione speaks. "We need to know what we're fixing- there are some spells and potions that can come in handy that we need to pour down her throat- but only after we know what's wrong."

They're walking up the stairway now with Steve leading the way followed by Hermione, Eir's unconscious form, Ginny, and then Natasha. "There's a medical bay on the Helicarrier," Steve tells her. "We can get you a room and you can work in there."

"Thank you." The moment the group comes into view, all mutterings stop as they set eyes on Eir.

"Fuck," Clint breathes in shock. "What'd they do to her?"

"Torture," Natasha answers him. "Seems like the so called pure-bloods are no different than the so called muggles they despise."

Harry and George both grimace before Hermione tells Harry about the Helicarrier they need to get Eir on so they could start healing her. "Sounds good." Harry agrees. "But how exactly are we going to get there when you're levitating her body?"

"You and Ginny will fly," she tells him, looking over her shoulder and telling Ginny to take charge of holding Eir's form mid-air. After quickly lowering her wand, Hermione once again produces a small lavender bag seemingly from thin air before reaching on in and pulling out a broom. Tony chooses that moment to come in, face mask up when he stumbles to a stop at Eir's appearance. "Did you find the Helicarrier?" Hermione quickly asks him.

Tony nods, a dark look passing over his features. "Yeah. They're a few miles Northwest."

"Good. Harry and Ginny will need your guidance," she tells him, producing another broom and handing it to Ginny. "They'll be levitating Eir between them so don't fly too fast."

"What about the rest of you?" Tony asks when he manages to tear his gaze from Eir.

"George and I will wait for the Aurors to come pick up these," she gestures to the unconscious deatheaters and I'm not sure about the rest of the team.." she then trails off looking at Thor, Natasha, Clint, and Steve.

"Hill said they're sending a Quintjet. You all can catch a ride on that, yeah?"

Tony and Hermione taking charge is quite a sight to watch- well at least for the Avengers since it's usually Rogers who takes over- but seeing Eir in her condition kind of makes sense as to why Steve's quiet and looking as if he's in pain too. Surprisingly, no-one argues with the plan they've come up with and let Tony, Harry, and Ginny leave the Manor with the witch and wizard carefully levitating Eir between them.

..

..

Though it is still light out, neither Tony or Harry or Ginny worry about being seen flying through the air. Since the Avengers are known world-wide, they'd pass it off as something Avenger related as to not out the Wizarding Realm.

The moment they land atop the Helicarrier, they get several odd looks from various crew members who stop and stare at the witch and wizard riding brooms as well as the levitating body. Tony quickly dismisses them, his suit coming apart right before Harry and Ginny's eyes. Tony is left in an odd black pant and black shirt ensemble, and his Iron Man suit quickly folds into a suitcase that he picks up and discards to a fellow Helicarrier crew member once they step foot inside.

As Harry and Ginny follow Tony, and make sure that they don't run Eir's body into anything, crew members stop and stare.

Again, Tony pays them no mind and instead starts barking out orders. "Dr. Banner! Get me Dr. Banner and have the medical bay cleared of all Doctors and Nurses before we get there.  _Now!_ " He shouts which actually gets everyone frantically moving about again.

They make it to the medical bay fairly quickly and Tony points to an empty bed where Harry and Ginny can lay Eir. The moment Eir touches the bed, Bruce strolls in. "Oh my god! What happened?!"

He immediately rushes to Eir's side, fingers going to her wrist to check her pulse but where the shackles were cutting into her skin, he has to find her pulse in her neck.

"We're not sure." Tony murmurs, making sure to stay out of Bruce's way. "We found her like this. Natasha says they tortured her. Is there any way you can scan her to see what the internal damage looks like?"

Bruce sadly shakes his head. "No. Her magic will interfere."

"We can do it," Harry pipes up before Tony can start getting pissed about people being useless and not being able to help. "At least until Hermione gets here," he then sheepishly admits. "Ginny's been studying to be a Healer and while she might be of some help, Hermione will be the most with all the knowledge she's soaked up over the years."

Tony and Bruce move aside without a word, letting the witch and wizard take charge of Eir. There's so much dirt, blood, and sweat that they don't even bother trying to salvage her clothes. Harry quickly cuts off the offending articles of clothing with very precise  _diffindo's_  or the severing charm as he quickly explains to Bruce who appears to be taking everything in.

They leave Eir in her undergarments to leave some of her dignity in tact, and Ginny moves in with several  _scourgifies_ and  _tergeo,_ removing all the grime from their friend's body.

"Oh god," Tony mutters as he brushes a hand down his face. "Did they- did they carve that word into her?"

The word  _traitor_ is now in plain sight, the bruises discoloring skin all over Eir's body, and several gashes left open as well as other small cuts. Harry and Ginny stare numbly at the word in Eir's abdomen, Harry nodding his head in an affirmative answer.

Just then, the door gets slammed open and Tony and Bruce are ready to block the witch and wizard at work but stop shortly when they realize it's only Fury and Agent Hill. "Would someone like to tell me what the hell's going on?" Fury immediately demands. Agent Hill stops in her tracks, her mouth dropping open in shock at Eir's injuries but quickly masks it.

"Bruce should've explained everything," Tony grumbles, moving to go stand by Ginny who is muttering in Latin while swishing and swaying her wand over Eir's unconscious form.

"He did," Fury replies hotly. His eyes dart to the glow of a shield that now envelops Eir, his mind wondering why the redheaded witch looks confused now. "But it doesn't tell me why your friend currently looks like shit and might possibly be staying in hospital care for a long while."

"They didn't use magic to make these wounds," Ginny mutters, gaining Tony's attention.

"Well, can you do anything else?" Tony asks.

Slashing her wand through the shield, Ginny quickly produces yet another shield- only this one being blue- and the room's occupants watch as a holographic skeletal system appears above Eir's form. Her body, including her face, are littered with fractures.

"Shit." Tony's jaw drops at what he's seeing.

The door slams open yet again but this time it's Steve, Hermione, Clint, Natasha, and George. Steve and Hermione are instantly at Eir's bedside, Harry moving out of the way seeing as Hermione was about to push him aside. Steve stands by her feet, his eyes not being able to look at what had become of his friend- his  _possibly something more of a friend-_ and add to the fact that she is only in bra and panties has the gentleman in him trying to focus on anything else.

At the sight of the new witch by the bed and the wizard standing next to two of his best agents, Fury huffs in agitation. "Are we expecting any more magical beings to suddenly show up? And where the hell is Thor?"

"He's in New Mexico, sir." Clint stands taller as he addresses his boss. "After the battle, he took off to go fill in Dr. Foster what was happening. He'll be by in a day or two."

Fury scoffs, muttering about national security and what happened to not blabbing S.H.I.E.L.D information to just anyone. "Well now that the brain is here, I have a feeling a debrief is about to happen," Tony grumbles.

"You're damn right," Fury growls. "Brief room three. Now!"

Tony rolls his eyes but nod nonetheless. Clint and Natasha follow after Fury and Agent Hill without needing to be told, and Tony gestures at Harry to follow. "Let's go, short stuff. Leave the girls, Steve, and Bruce to look over Eir. I'm sure they got this, right ladies?"

Hermione and Ginny wave them off, and Steve doesn't even acknowledge what is going on around him. Tony can see the way Steve is fighting with his emotions and worry over the witch but with Bruce muttering reassurances that everything would be okay, he figures his presence isn't needed. As he leads Harry towards the door, he gestures for George to follow as well. They might as well give Fury all his answers now so they can go back to seeing over Eir's recovery later.

..

..

In brief room three, Fury sits on one side of a metal table with the two new wizards sitting directly across from him. Clint and Natasha sit next to the redheaded wizard, back straights and facing forward as Tony sits next to the dark haired wizard, feet kicked up on the table as he leans back in his chair as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"First things first," Fury eyes the two wizards. "Why the hell were these deatheaters in the States to begin with? From what Eir's told and showed us, they were all about taking over your Community first."

"Yes, well, things change when you kill their precious leader," the dark haired wizard stares him straight in the eye. "Once he fell, the deatheaters who got away regrouped and stayed off the radar. When we first got reports of them in America, we figured they wanted a new place to start over and wreak havoc without having to face me again. No-one other than Hermione and our Minister knew where Eir was or even that she relocated to America so when Eir was spotted- well, she is a traitor in all deatheater's eyes. We're thinking she was just the icing on their cake."

Fury leans forward, resting his arms on the table and clasping his fingers together in front of him. "And just why exactly were these witches and wizards afraid of you?"

Fury is too focused on the dark haired wizard, since he practically appointed himself spokesperson of the two wizards, that he misses the smirk from the redheaded wizard as well as the twitches of amusement from his assembled heroes. The dark haired wizard leans forward, eyes sparkling in amusement. "Allow me to finally introduce myself. I'm Harry Potter but I'm also known as The-Boy-Who-Lived, The Chosen One, and Master of Death. I'm sure you've read about me."

Understanding dawns on Fury and he tightly nods. "I see. So now that the battle's over and you've got your friend back, what will happen to the deatheaters now?"

Instead of Harry answering, the redhead does. "The ones who lived are going to Azkaban, mate. They won't ever see the light of day ever again."

..

..

As Harry and George leave with Tony, Steve and Bruce watch as Hermione and Ginny practically transform right before their eyes. Hair is pulled back out of their face, jackets are shed and sleeves pushed up, and Steve and Bruce step away to give the two witches any room they might need.

With one witch positioned on either side of the bed, Hermione's lavender beaded bag is placed on the bed besides Eir's leg- left open as Hermione  _accios_ potions that she's sure she's going to need.

"Outside or inside injuries first?" Ginny mutters, coming to a brief halt.

"Uh.. inside," Hermione answers distractedly, looking at several vials of different pastel colors that she had pulled out. "I'm going to need you to massage her throat as I tip some potions in."

Ginny nods, moving up to stand by Eir's head as she readily puts his fingers against Eir's throat. Picking up a peach colored potion, Hermione uncorks it and moves to open Eir's mouth while tipping the potion in. "What is that?" Steve asks because he just can't remain quiet without knowing exactly what they're doing.

Ginny's fingers start massaging, urging the potion to go down. "It's going to patch up any punctured organs and arteries that our spells won't be able to heal from the outside," Hermione announces. She gives it a few moments before picking up yet another vial- this one a milky pink. "And this is a blood-replenishing potion," She tells them, uncorking it and tipping in half it's contents as Ginny massages Eir's throat. "We're not sure how much she's lost but given the state she was found in.."

Steve quickly nods, letting Hermione trail off because he was there so he knows what the witch is talking about. "Bones or cuts?" Ginny then asks. "I rather take the cuts because it's less concentration and.."

"Got it," Hermione cuts her off. "I'll heal the bones."

Ginny goes first, gripping her wand and running it lightly over every cut and gash visible. For every wound there's a muttered  _vulnera sanentur,_ and Steve and Bruce watch on as each wound knits itself back together. It takes more than a few minutes for Ginny to have every wound healed up and when she does, she steps back only for Hermione to step forward.

But before Hermione can start with her portion of the healing, Steve steps forward with his hand raised and halts the witch's work. "What about her stomach? You can't leave that there," he says as his eyes trail over the carved word.

Ginny frowns but it's Hermione who sighs sadly and answers. "That is more than likely the work of a blade embedded with dark magic, Steve. There's no healing it. She'll have to glamour it."

"A-are you sure? Did you check if it was black magic?" He asks.

Bruce moves to pull his teammate back when he sees Hermione tense but said witch only frowns when she faces him. "I don't need to check," and since she's wearing a short-sleeve shirt and has no glamour charms working on her own scar, she thrusts out her arm and turns it so Steve and Bruce can see her own carved word of  _mudblood._ "I don't need to check because I know for a fact it's a preferred method of theirs." Steve immediately deflates and his apology is on the tip of his tongue but Hermione feebly grins and waves it off. "It's okay. You're worried so it's understandable."

Without continuing that particular conversation, Hermione turns back to Eir and gets her mind back in the mindset of healing. Gripping her wand, she uses the holographic skeletal image of Eir's body that's still hovering over Eir to find where she needs to point her wand. Muttering  _brackium emendo_ at every place that needs healing, Hermione sets to work.

It takes Hermione more than a few minutes as well to have every bone healed and when that's done, the only thing that gives away Eir's torture is the swelling and bruising. Before Bruce can ask if they have anything for it, Hermione picks up a mint green colored potion. Ginny sees it and immediately moves to place her fingers back at Eir's throat again as Hermione uncorks the vial and tips half the potion into her mouth.

The potion gets taken down and within a few minutes, the swelling of Eir's face and joints visibly shrinks.

"I have some bruise removal balm but I rather wait for Eir to wake up to rub that in," Hermione tells the room's occupants. "It's bad enough we have her on show in her knickers so I rather not violate her anymore while she's unconscious."

On cue, Steve and Bruce blush as Ginny suddenly snorts. Hermione grins in amusement and makes quick work of finding a spare sheet and draping it over Eir's body.

..

..

When Eir finally comes to, she realizes she's lying down on something comfortable. She doesn't remember much but she does remember the beating she's recently received and her last location. There's cushion beneath her head that isn't supposed to be there and as her fingers curl in towards her palm, her fingertips brush against a soft yet stiff bed sheet. Wondering just where in Merlin's name she is now, she finally decides to take a chance and open her eyes. She blinks and then blinks harder when her vision doesn't clear right away but only manages to send a flare of pain all across her face. The only snippets she got of the new room she is in lets her know that it's white, bright, and sterile smelling.

Panicking because she can't see and she doesn't know this new location, Eir tries to see if she can move any other body parts. She wiggles her toes followed by stretching her legs and when they're restraint free, she starts to pull her knees up. Surprisingly, given what she's been through, there's no flare of pain but she does feel a bit sore from her toes upward.

There's suddenly the sound of a chair creaking from somewhere beside her and the moment she feels someone grab her hand, she cringes and tries to curl in on herself.

"No.. no, no, no." She suddenly panics, trying to make herself smaller after ripping her hand free from whoever had grabbed it.

The bed she's lying on suddenly dips and hands reach for arms, and then they move to gently cradle her face. "Eir. Eir, it's okay," a familiar voice murmurs. "You're safe now. Look at me. You're safe."

She slowly lets herself calm down upon hearing the words, opening her eyes so she can actually see. When she uncurls herself and allows herself to look at the person holding her face, she practically melts into the bed with relief. "Steve?"

"Hey." He gives a shaky chuckle, eyes suspiciously glossy and features giving away just how tired the man actually is. "How are you feeling?"

Eir closes her eyes as she takes a deep breath. "Tired.. and thirsty," she rolls her tongue around in her mouth. "My mouth tastes funny."

Another shaky chuckle escapes from Steve as the mattress moves before Eir finds a straw placed at the opening of her parted lips. "It's probably the different potions Hermione and Ginny tipped down your throat."

"Ginny?" She manages to ask after taking a few small sips of cold water. "Ginny's here?"

Steve nods, placing the water back on the side table. "Yeah. Mousy was a bit of a mess when we showed up to the Tower without you," he admits, sighing before rubbing a hand down his face. "We didn't know what to do and it was actually Tony who remembered your magical journal. He contacted Hermione who then floo'd over right away and then she contacted Harry. Ginny and George decided to tag along to help look and rescue you."

Her eyes widen in shock. "George came?"

"Mhm," Steve murmurs with a soft smile. "Whatever you think he hates you for, he doesn't, Eir."

She wants to argue that George does- or at least he should- hate her but she's just too tired. And the way Steve spoke, there is so much conviction in his voice that she doesn't have the heart to argue with him. Instead, she just numbly nods and wishes she could go home. Or at least back to the Tower.

"How long have I been out? Where is everyone?"

"It's been a few hours," Steve tiredly admits. "The rest of the team took your friends to get fresh clothes and some food. They left not that long ago."

"And what of the deatheaters? Nadia?"

"Gone," Steve finally smiles. "Some of them weren't built to take on Thor's hammer or Clint's arrows so there were some casualties but most were stunned unconscious and rounded up for an Auror Squad to pick up."

There's a lapse in conversation before Eir suddenly panics. "What if they escape?! It has happened before, Steve. What if they come back?"

"Hey, shh! Relax," Steve moves to gently push her back down on the bed. "It's all taken care of. While some of us waited with Hermione and George to wait for the aurors, we told them how you erased the memories of that one man. Anything Avenger related and even  _Eir_ related has been wiped from their memories. There's no more threat."

As Eir takes a moment to let his words sink in, she finally offers him a smile. "It's over?" Steve nods and then smiles back. "Good. I'd really like to sleep now knowing that when I wake up, I'll be safe."

"Of course. Yeah," Steve blurts, looking back at the bed-side table and the leftover vials sitting there. He picks up a light yellow potion, uncorking it and waving it front of Eir's face. "Dreamless sleep," he tells her before his brows crinkle in confusion. "At least I think that's what Hermione said. She said to drink it if you woke up and then wanted to go back to sleep." Eir grins now, reaching up to take the vial only to frown when she sees the discoloring of her hand and arm. Realizing what she's seeing, Steve frowns as well. "You're covered in bruises but we figured you'd want to rub in the bruise balm when you were more alert. Here, drink this," he places the opening of the vial to Eir's mouth. "When you wake up, I'll make sure that we're back at the Tower."

Eir quickly drinks the offered potion, nodding at his words. "Thank you, Steve. For everything."

He doesn't say anything in reply and only watches as her eyes flutter close and she falls asleep. He doesn't like the way her face is discolored or the fact that nearly every inch of her body is in the same state. While it doesn't take away from her beauty, it does anger him to the point where he wants to hit something.. or someone. But for Eir, he'll keep himself in line.

The door to the room soon opens and the team plus friends appear to be in good spirits so being the adult he is, Steve gently moves off the bed and quickly shushes the visitors. They immediately fall silent and it's Hermione who pieces together why Steve shushed them and the newly empty vial.

"She's awake?" Hermione asks, eyes briefly lighting up but Steve shakes his head.

"She was," he answers softly. "She just fell back asleep. I promised her the next time she woke up, we'd be back at the Tower so, uh," he sheepishly rubs the back of his neck now, avoiding eye contact. "Do you think you can swing that for us? Get her released from Fury's watch so we can get her settled back in at the Tower?"

Hermione's lips part in a small 'o' before Steve's words register in her mind and she closes her mouth with an audible click. With a tight nod, he watches once more as Hermione steels and readies herself before she turns on her heels and marches right back out the room. The Avengers watch her warily as Harry, Ginny, and George start to chuckle.

"You just released hell upon your boss, mate," Harry smirks at him. "Hermione can be quite vicious when she wants something and the Director doesn't seem like a man who will cave easily."

Tony practically beams at the possibility of the petite witch putting some fear into Fury but before he can follow after her, Bruce grips him by the shoulder and steers him further into the room. Natasha brings Steve some food and as he moves to get settled on the spare bed with his food, the others settle around in the empty chairs.

In between bites, Steve asks the witch and wizards what they're going to do now. George and Ginny look to Harry, and Harry merely shrugs. "Go back home. We've done all we can and now there's loads of paperwork that needs filling out." Everyone grimaces at the word  _paperwork,_ the Avengers feeling the wizard's pain seeing as they all now have paperwork of their own. "But don't worry, I'm sure we'll be seeing each again quite soon. Your Director will more than likely want an ally in the Wizarding Realm so I'm pretty sure he'll want a meeting with our Minister and vice versa."

And Harry apparently has the right idea seeing as no-one tries to deny Fury wanting as much information that he can get his hands on.

An hour later, Hermione strolls back into the room with a triumphant smirk. "You're free to go home now," she tells Steve.

Witch- 1 Fury- 0

* * *

**Well, I did warn you that the fight wouldn't be described in here. I'm tired and just want to nap so I'm pretty sure I left a bunch of mistakes in here. I apologize. As for Draco not going to help save Eir, please remember that Draco is on house arrest. He can't leave and he can't be seen associating with other ex deatheaters while on said house arrest. It's just how I wanted it, don't question it. Please.**

**BTW, did anyone read my teen wolf fic "We Might Fall"? If so, there's something of a companion piece to that particular fic that I should start writing soon. It's going to be a weird one. Message me if you want the details to that.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are two sets on Polyvore for this chapter that you can find [HERE](http://www.polyvore.com/second_chance_chapter_twenty/set?id=117154740) and [HERE](http://www.polyvore.com/second_chance_chapter_twenty_pt/set?id=117154995).

 

Eir is jostled awake when she feels arms hook beneath her knees and another arm cradling her back. She had been jostled awake once before but the warmth and comfort that came from the body cradling her, as well as the deep smooth mutterings of " _ssh, go back to sleep. We're just going home,_ " had her slipping back into blissful darkness.

This second time, though, the smooth accented voice of JARVIS pulls her further and further from sleep.  _"Welcome home, sir and friends. From the look of things, the mission was a success?"_

"Very much so, J," Tony's voice rumbles from somewhere in front of her. At least in her sleep addled mind she knows she's at the Tower now.

Deciding to leave her eyes closed, Eir burrows her face into the space of where shoulder meets neck on the strong chiseled body carrying her. The skin is warm and distinctly smells of soap, and Eir finds her left arm sneaking up to the other side of the person's neck to hold on. She's pretty sure the person cradling her is Steve so she has no problem running her nose along his neck.

Soon, there's soft murmuring going on all around her, thumping of objects falling either on the floor or some type of table and before she knows it, the murmuring is getting further and further away. There's the ding of the elevator followed by a brief silent ride. Whether they're going up or down, Eir has no idea but decides to remain quiet and see where she ends up.

The elevator dings all too soon and once again, they're on the move. There's a bit of jostling going on after a few moments, a grunt here and there, and finally the clicking of a door opening. Eir snuggles deeper into the warm body and a few moments later, she feels herself being lowered.

Finally opening her eyes, Eir blinks rapidly to clear her vision before she finds Steve leaning over her with a small grin. "Hey," she tiredly mumbles before looking around the room she's in. The walls are a dull gray and the only furniture in the room is a bed-side table with a lamp sitting there, a dark oak bookshelf in the corner by the door that has two shelves filled, the bed she's currently on, and a black plush recliner that's just on the other side of the bed-side table. "Where am I?"

"My room," Steve admits with a slight blush. As Eir slowly looks around, he moves to sit on the edge of the bed. "I-I'm sorry if that was too straight forward but I figured you didn't want to be alone."

Eir smiles feebly and moves to sit up, cringing as her muscles ache at the movement. "No, it's fine," she assures him. "I actually don't want to be alone but I don't want to be around everyone else either."

Steve returns the smile, fidgeting on his own bed as he doesn't know what to do with himself. When he moves an inch too far to one side, he feels his pants strain against an object in his pocket. "Oh, uh, Hermione left you this," he mutters as he fidgets some more before pulling out the small jar of bruise balm. "You can apply this now after you've showered or whenever."

Instead of smiling or grinning at him, he finds her frowning. "Hermione left already?"

"Yes," Steve tells her. "She and the others had mountains of paperwork to fill out. Plus, Harry had Draco to fill in. He was quite worried."

Frown faltering, Eir shakes her head to clear it. She couldn't be mad for her friend leaving without saying goodbye. They all had lives and there'd be time to catch up later. "I think I'd like that shower now."

She moves her legs over to the side of the bed, masking the small cringes of pain that flare from her sore muscles. Quickly testing her weight on her own two legs, Eir stands on shaky legs and waits for Steve to point the way to the bathroom.

"I'll get Mousy to bring you some clothes," he tells her as he leads the way to the bathroom.

Hearing a snort from behind him, Steve peers over his shoulder to see what that was about. "Merlin, I hope she didn't cause too much of a scene."

In response, Steve grins. "She kept Ms. Potts' busy but she's all better now that you're safe and sound." Once at the bathroom door, he stops and gestures for her to enter while also holding the jar of bruise balm for her to take. "Put this on after you've showered. Your clothes will be waiting by the door when you're done."

Eir wants to hug him- kiss him, really- and just tell him how much she absolutely adores him in this moment. Steve was her first friend in the new life she started for herself and might possibly be something more when all this drama is well behind them. His gentleness with her makes her ache for her inner child who'd never known such love but she doesn't want to cry and freak him out. So instead, she takes the jar of bruise balm and enters the bathroom with a forced smile.

Inside the brightly lit modern bathroom- which had been one of her favorite things living at Avengers Tower- Eir makes quick work of pulling out a plush towel from the closet right by the door and a wash cloth for her body. She pads barefoot over the glossy tiled floor and up to the dark gray marbled counter surrounding the sink. There's a humongous square mirror with three overhanging lights above the sink but Eir avoids her reflection for the time being.

She quickly places down the items she's carrying before scurrying over to the glass shower stall and opening it up. Here, she realizes the only difference between her bathroom and Steve's bathroom is the colored rug by the shower door. While she has a blue rug in her bathroom, Steve has black. The shower head is now blasting hot water and after taking a few moments to adjust it to her liking, Eir quickly yet gently removes the S.H.I.E.L.D shirt, workout pants, and undergarments that she found herself in.

The hot water stings but it's a welcoming sting, and Eir just stands under the water's spray for a few moments as the trauma she'd recently been through enters her mind. She cringes at the onslaught of memories before quickly ridding her mind of them and busies herself with cleaning her hair. On the wall in front of her and directly above the water controls, there's three dispensers each labeled  _Shampoo, Conditioner,_ and  _Soap._

Cleansing her hair seems like it takes no time at all and it's when Eir's washing her body that she tenses. Sudsy hands run over her abdomen and she frowns when her fingers trace her new and still sensitive scar. Eyes welling up with tears, Eir quickly rinses her body off and turns off the water, steps out onto the black rug only to quickly wrap herself up in her towel. After taking a few deep breaths, she steps forward off the rug and up to the sink where she continues to ring out the excess water from her hair.

Her eyes lock with her reflection for the first time and she can't help the tears that form quickly and fall down her cheeks. Her face is a mixture of purple and blue, there are what appears to be bruises in the shape of fingers along her neck, and she's afraid of what her body looks like beneath the towel. With shaky fingers, she reaches for the bruise balm and opens it up.

The balm is applied to her face and neck, and when she finally gathers the courage to open her towel the tears come once more. She is literally a walking and talking bruise, and any pale flesh of hers is nowhere to be seen. When she sees scar with her own eyes, a sob tears from her throat.

..

..

As told, the minute Eir closes herself off in the restroom, Steve summons Mousy to the room. He asks for clothes of Eir's to be delivered to his room and left on the floor by the door, and Mousy is quick to listen and deliver.

There's a black knit v-neck jumper, black running shorts, and undergarments that make the tips of his ears burn red when he sees the lace. After reassurances to Mousy that Eir is fine but isn't up for any type of company at the moment, Mousy suggests they get her a warm lunch. Seeing nothing wrong with the offered suggestion, Steve smiles and declares it a good idea only to have Mousy eagerly scurry up to him and grip his hand.

She disapparates them from his room and into the communal kitchen where Mousy had already cooked for everyone.

Once Steve finds his footing, he notices that everyone is just loitering about on the communal floor. Even Pepper is there and nursing a cup of tea next to Bruce at the half bar while Tony, Natasha, and Clint have some type of amber liquid in glass tumblers.

"How's she holding up?" Natasha asks softly.

Every set of eyes turn to Steve for his answer. "Better than expected, actually," he admits and watches as Mousy sets to work on making a pot of soup. "She's not up for company though so I'd refrain from trying to speak with her at the moment."

"If there's anything we can do," Pepper speaks up, trailing off so Steve knew exactly where she was going with this. "Just let us know."

"I will," he quickly nods. "I will."

The group lapses into silence after that, the only noise coming from Mousy as she flutters about preparing the food for Eir. Even though they've been off and out of danger for quite some time, the recovery mission seems to have really tired them out.

It's when Mousy is plating the bowl of soup and two glasses of juice and water that JARVIS informs them of something wrong.

" _Sir, it appears that Ms. Banning is under some distress at the moment. Should I send for help?"_

Mousy and Steve freeze but it's Tony who beats everyone to the questioning. "Distress? What type of distress, J? What's going on?"

" _I believe the wound on her abdomen has set her off. She's currently still locked in Mr. Rogers' bathroom. Do I send for help, sir?"_

Steve instantly shakes his head, pushing off from the bar counter top he's seated at and makes a run for the elevator. As he pushes the button and waits for the elevator to open, Mousy suddenly appears at his side and apparates them directly into his room. He's currently too worried about Eir that not even apparating disorientates him.

Hearing the sorrow-filled sobs being muffled by the bathroom door, Steve immediately rushes to said door and urgently knocks. "Eir? Eir, open up," he gently commands. "If you don't open up, I'm coming in." The sobs continue and when there's no noise of movement, Steve takes that as his cue to enter without being yelled at. Giving her a few more seconds, Steve steels himself. "JARVIS, open the door."

The AI obeys, electronically unlocking the bathroom door for Steve to enter. When he does, he finds Eir crumpled on the bathroom floor with only her towel wrapped around her body. Wet hair hangs limply around her bruise-free face as she sobs uncontrollably and Steve is instantly by her side and kneeling down, wrapping his arms around her.

"Shh.. shh," he tries soothing her. "You're okay. You're safe now." He lowers himself completely on the floor, bringing Eir to settle between his legs as he gently rocks her back and forth. "It's all okay now. It'll only get better from here on out."

He doesn't know how long it is that Eir cries out but after letting her get it all out of her system, she starts to calm and is resolved to sniffling. He knows that this breakdown is probably the first of many because no-one is subjected to that kind of torture- especially torture by a parent- and is left walking away without any type of emotional backlash.

He remains sitting there, his body nearly covering hers and he doesn't know how he's managed to not blush at her towel-clad form. Moments later, he hears her muttering about ugliness and scars, and that brings him out of his mental ramblings. "Don't say that about yourself," he murmurs. "You're a beautiful being inside and out. No amount of bruises or even scars can change that about you."

"You say that now," Eir's voice wobbles but Steve doesn't let her continue.

Pulling back and grasping her chin between his fingers to make her look at him, he stares her straight in the eye. "I'll always say that," He tells her, his words hanging heavy between them.

Steve thought Eir had been all cried out for the day so when her eyes swell with tears once more, he's actually surprised. He's even more surprised when she suddenly leans up and presses her lips to his but he makes no move to push her away. She doesn't deepen it, the kiss remains very chaste, and when Eir finally pulls away he offers her an uncertain smile.

"Thank you," she mutters before she burrows back into his chest.

Steve continues to hold her, gently swaying from side to side before finally settling against the cabinets. When it appears that Eir is calm enough, he finally manages to get her to stand before calling Mousy into the bathroom with them. When Eir doesn't speak, he tells Mousy to help Eir with the rest of the bruise balm and to help her dress after.

As the house elf tends to her Mistress, Steve heads back up to the communal floor where he picks up Eir's food. He tells everyone that all is fine now and it'd be best to hold off on visiting her until the following day. With reluctant agreements from everyone, Steve heads towards the elevator with a food tray in hand before he makes a sudden turn towards the bookshelf in the living room where Eir's wand resides.

He figures she'd want that back.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

The following morning, Eir is the first one awake in the room. She had spent a good deal of the previous day arguing with Steve about who got the bed since Steve didn't think it appropriate to share a bed just yet- even if they were just going to sleep. In the end, she ended up adding cushioning charms to the recliner in his room and watched as Steve practically melted into the chair when they finally decided to call it a night.

Now, she's sitting up in Steve's bed surrounded by white sheets with a major case of bed head. She doesn't need to look in the mirror to know that her hair is scary at the moment- and knowing that her wrists are bare of any hair-tie and not spotting anything that she transfigure- she quickly rakes her fingers through the tangles of her hair before pulling it together and twisting it into a bun. Again, she's in need of a hair-tie to keep her bun in place but since there is none, she uses the next best thing. Her wand. Her wand in which she finds sitting on the bedside table between her and Steve.

With her hair now under control, Eir casts another glance towards the still slumbering Steve who's turned on his side and facing her. He looks quite peaceful so not wanting to wake him up, she quietly climbs out of bed to fix the bedding.

With her back to Steve, she doesn't see when he wakes up nor does she see him sleepily watching her as she shakes out the sheet she used as a blanket before laying it down and folding the edges beneath the mattress as if the bed hadn't been slept in to begin with. It's when JARVIS' voice comes through the hidden speakers does she realize Steve is awake.

" _Sir, Mr. Stark is requesting your and Ms. Banning's presence one level up. He's quite anxious to open his gifts since Christmas has passed."_

Eir whirls around when she hears Steve sigh and nearly face palms. "Christmas! Oh no, I've ruined Christmas!"

"No, you didn't. They already opened most of their gifts last night. They just saved yours and yours to them," Steve yawns, putting the recliner back in the sitting up position. "What do you say, you up for some company today?"

Her panicked expression falters as she thinks about the idea of being around everyone again but she doesn't know how to feel about it. On one hand, she wants to because they're her friends but on the other, she doesn't want the pity she's bound to see in all their eyes.

"I- I don't know," Eir finally mumbles. "I don't want it to be weird with everyone. I don't want to be treated differently just because my cow of Mum tortured me."

Steve wants to tell her that they won't treat her differently but he's not sure himself if they will. Finding Eir the way they did was quite a shock to all of them so he can't be sure what their reactions to her now will be like. Luckily for Steve, before he can try to argue that they won't, someone's knocking on his door to his mini apartment.

Eir bites her bottom lip nervously as Steve stands to answer the door but before he leaves the room, he freezes and turns back to Eir. Walking up to her, he cups her cheek in hand while brushing his thumb below her bitten lip so she'd let it go. When she does, he smiles and leans in for a quick peck. "Think about it, will you? I'll be there and if it's too much, we'll come back to either my room or yours."

Eir breathes out deeply when Steve finally steps away, a brief smile lighting up her face when JARVIS speaks up once more. " _Mr. Stark is at the door, Mr. Rogers. He's tired of waiting for your answer."_

As Tony's boisterous voice reaches Eir's ears, she pulls the sleeves of her jumper so they cover her palms and crosses her arms over her chest as she steps out of the room. When Tony catches sight of her appearance, he practically beams.

"There you are," he claps excitedly and walks towards her. "Come on, let's go! We all got presents to open and Pepper won't let me touch these unless you're there," he explains his being there to Eir as Steve watches on in amusement from the background. "So get your cute little  _arse_  in gear and get dressed or come as you are. It's up to you."

"Um," Eir gulps, smiling lightly as she realizes Tony hadn't once brought up her recent rescue mission. "Okay?"

"Excellent!" Tony cheers, throwing an arm around Eir's shoulders before leading her to the door. "Come on, Cap," he then calls out over his shoulder. "We've got presents to open!"

..

..

Stepping off the elevator and entering the room where everyone is gathered- it takes Pepper's  _"Oh, honey, are you holding up okay?",_ Eir's flinch at the sympathy she didn't want see on their faces, and Steve's scowl at the scene unfolding before him to tip off the Avengers that any and all sympathy/pity needed to stop. And stop right now.

Eir knows Pepper meant well as does everyone else but she's not ready for it. She doesn't know if she'll ever be ready for any of their pitying glances or inquires about what happened when she was held captive but for now, she pushes down the urge to scream and shout and leave the room in favor of returning Pepper's comforting hug.

"I'm as fine as I can be at the moment," the witch surprises everyone by a level voice and a surprisingly watery smile. "It'll take some time to be completely over it but," she trails off, pulling out of the hug and shrugging nonchalantly.

"If there's anything you need-"

"I know," Eir immediately cuts her off, sniffling but still smiling and Steve finally moves to stand beside her. "I know and thank you. All of you," she then adds as she flashes a watery smile at Tony, Bruce, Clint, Natasha, and Thor. She knows that they're there for her but she just needs them to know she needs a bit a space for the time being- a fact that they all easily pick up on.

"It is good to see you up and about, my friend," Thor's voice booms boisterously from across the room. When Eir chuckles at the intensity of it, he stands and is standing in front of her within a few strides- Thor being the only other person willing to chance hugging his friend. "When Agent Barton informed my beloved Jane we were sharing gifts here and my presence was required, I realized I had yet to purchase you anything," he frowns, standing tall and relieving Eir from having to stand on tip-toes to hug him. "But JARVIS informed me of something you liked and I couldn't help myself."

Tony and Clint snicker in the background and Eir is immediately suspicious. "What did you do?"

"I bought you a present, of course," Thor answers happily, striding back into the kitchen and bending down to pick something up from behind the bar. When he stands to full height, he sets a red Coca-Cola ice chest atop the bar with it's lid propped open and several bottles sitting in ice. "Merry-late-Christmas, my friend. Have a beverage!"

Eir laughs happily, all traces of tears gone from her eyes as she pads barefoot over to the kitchen and plucks a Cola from the ice. "Thank you, Thor. Now I don't have to take bribes from Steve anymore."

Everyone either grins or laughs at Thor's happiness that someone truly liked his gift and watch as Eir twists open her beverage, taking a generous gulp. "Oh, no," Tony laughs. "That's not all, is it Big Guy?"

Thor smiles sheepishly before summoning Mousy- Steve then having to spend several minutes prying the tiny elf off it's Mistress with reassurances that she was fine and in good spirits- before Mousy lifts the invisibility enchantments Thor had her place over several crates of Cola that he had purchased for her as well. Once done, Mousy disappears with  _crack!_ to do whatever it was she had been doing before.

"Okay, well since Eir received Thor's present then it's only fair he receive hers," Clint finally chimes in, ready to get on with the opening of their presents.

Not knowing it was possible, Thor brightens up even more. "Wait!" Eir pipes up. "I got everyone the same thing- except for one particular item- so you all have to open them together," she flashes them a small grin.

"Okay, new plan then," Tony claps his hands together while gesturing everyone into the living room. "Eir opens her gifts from us and then we open the ones she got us. Deal? Good. Eir, come on in and start opening up your presents."

No-one finds a problem with the plan so Thor, Steve, and Eir make their way towards the larger group. Tony is seated in one of the lone plush sofa recliners with Pepper sitting on the arm rest beside him while Bruce sat on the other lone plush sofa chair. Clint and Natasha are on the sofa- Natasha scooting towards the middle so there is room for Thor.

Finding nothing wrong with sitting on the floor, Eir and Steve make themselves comfortable side-by-side. With the coffee table the only thing sitting between the entire group, Eir purses her lips in thought before pulling her wand free from her hair. With a flick of her wand, the table disappears and with another flick, the snow starts falling once more above the group.

Eir is sitting cross-legged on the floor when she drops her wand into her lap and tackles tying her hair up once more. This time as she reaches for her wand to pin the make-shift bun, a rubber hair-tie hits her directly on the chest. Following the predicted path it came from, she catches Natasha winking at her. "Thanks, Nat."

"Don't mention it," the Black Widow replies as she watches the witch tie up her hair.

There's a moment of silence as everyone watches to see who's going to retrieve the gifts from the tree but when they take a moment too long, Eir flicks her wand and every present except the ones she got for them levitate to the open space before her.

"Is there any specific gift I should open first?" She asks.

Pretty much everyone shakes their head but Bruce nervously raises his hand. "Open mine first?" He asks guiltily. "I don't want to be put to shame with what the others got you."

"Not gonna happen," Eir tells him honestly. "I already love each and every gift I've received from you lot no matter the price," she smiles fondly. "It could be a macaroni painting and I'd love it just as much as the latest Stark gadget."

"Hey!" Tony scowls grumpily as the others laugh. "I'd like to think that my technology is more lovable than macaroni and glue."

"Then keep thinking it, Stark. No-one's telling you to stop," Eir quips back.

As Pepper soothes Tony's mock-wounded ego, Bruce seeks out the rectangular white box with red ribbon tied in a bow around it. "Here you go," he mumbles as he hands over the present to Eir.

The British witch wastes no time in untying the ribbon and opening up the box to pull out her gift- a black and charcoal gray shawl cowl tunic. Holding the article of clothing by it's shoulders, Eir smiles fondly at it. "I love it," she gushes and then immediately holds the piece of clothing to her chest. "Thank you so much!"

Bruce blushes but is saved from further gushing by the witch when Clint suddenly lunges forward. "Okay. My turn," he mumbles, picking through the boxes and producing two small black packages- one a square and the other a rectangle.

Eir takes them, laughing and poking fun at the archer's love of purple seeping in with his gifts as she fingers the purple ribbon tying her two gifts together. After quickly disposing of the ribbon and opening each box, Eir's faced with a dragon claw clutching a pearl chain necklace- because every witch needed something dragon or snakelike (Clint's words not Eir's)- and a gold crystal arrow cuff bracelet to remind her of him as the archer.

The group smiles as Eir thanks Clint for his thoughtful gifts and instead of waiting for Eir to choose which gift to open next, Natasha is already handing her one. From Natasha, Eir receives a beautiful pastel yellow and blue tie-dye ruffled dress with spaghetti straps, from Pepper she receives a pair of 14 karat white gold love knot diamond earrings, and an Iron Man slim fit t-shirt along with comic Avenger high heels from Tony who just couldn't resist.

When it's Steve's turn to hand over his gift, there's whistling and cat-calling from Tony and Clint who are quickly shushed by Pepper and Natasha when Steve faintly blushes. Eir runs her fingers along the black velvet box before opening it's lid and gasps at the 14 karat white gold swirl and drop diamond necklace.

"Steve," she breathes in awe. "This is beautiful."

She quickly flashes the gift to Pepper and Natasha who both look eager to see what Steve got the witch- the two females nodding in approval and smiling at the still blushing soldier. Not wanting to embarrass him further or start the 'Avenger Inquisition', Eir smiles fondly at Steve before pecking him on his cheek.

"Thank you," Eir murmurs softly before turning to face the rest of the group. "Thank all of you! The gifts are really lovely and I can't wait to use each and every one of them." The room's occupants all wave her off, varied  _welcomes_ and  _don't mention it_ being tossed out. As she neatly stacks her gifts off to the side of her, she becomes somewhat nervous. "Now that I think about it, I kind of wish you lot didn't get me anything. The gifts I got you are all edible and not nearly as expensive as what you've given."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Tony and Clint simultaneously cut her off and immediately stand to their feet. "Don't even think about it," Tony scolds her while Clint rushes to the tree where the small chests sit. "We're opening these babies up and we'll love whatever food you've decided to give."

Eir smiles nervously as the group reassures her it's fine only to have Eir tell them that she'll get them something different when she has a chance to enter either New York's magical community or chances a visit to Diagon Alley. Clint only picks up his own chest and Natasha's, and while Tony huffs about Clint not being helpful, Eir quickly flicks her wand about and sends the remaining chests to the appropriate owner.

There's a moment of hesitation when everyone has their wooden chests sitting in their laps and when Eir gives them a brief nod, there's a flurry of hands opening up the lids. There's a mixture of awe, amusement, and hunger on their faces with Tony and Natasha immediately picking up their bottles of Firewhiskey.

"Drink at your own risk," Eir blurts when she sees Tony already unscrewing the lid to his bottle. Tony, of course, ignores her warning and takes a gulp only to end up choking and spluttering. When she catches everyone's attention, she explains the reaction and why only some of them got bottles of liquor. "Firewhiskey is a really strong drink. It's cold going down but burns when it's settled as does the path it took, and if you're lucky enough, you'll burp fire." Thor immediately looks intrigued as he studies his own bottle as does Clint who's turning his bottle in hand. "I know some of you don't drink or can't get drunk as in Steve's case so only some of you got Firewhiskey. The candy you all got is the same as everyone else."

Tony, Thor, Natasha, and Clint set their bottles of liquor down as they start to comb through their treats.

Wondering just what Hermione picked out, Eir turns to Steve and starts looking through his chest. There's Bernie Bott's Every Flavor jelly beans, Chocolate Frogs, Ton-Tongue Toffee, Sugar Quills, Chocolate Skeletons, Sherbert Lemons, Droobles Best Blowing Gum, Jelly Slugs, Acid Pops, and Exploding Bon-Bons.

When she looks up, Pepper's holding a Chocolate Frog box in hand and torn between being disgusted or amused. "They're not really frogs," Eir laughs. "Though they are spelled to move and jump, just so you know." Pepper blanches just the slightest and Tony eagerly tears into one of his boxes. Sure enough, the frog jumps out of it's container, and Pepper yelps and flails as it lands on her shoulder. "Biting into it will break the spell."

"Please tell me the slugs don't move sluggishly," Natasha speaks up.

Eir shakes her head. "No but they are covered in a thin sheen of edible slime as well as filled with jelly." Tony finally catches his frog and bites into it, laughing when the chocolate becomes still. "And with your Chocolate Frogs, they come with trading cards. Every card is a famous witch or wizard with a few facts about them."

Tony nods while pulling free his trading card and smiling in child-like glee. "What are  _Weasley's Wizard Wheezes_?" Bruce's soft voice asks.

Eir's freezes, eyes going wide. "What?"

"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," the scientist repeats. "There's several products by the same company though they're only in clear packaging paper. Home-made candy, maybe?"

Eir turns to Steve's wooden chest since his is closer and sure enough, there are several products by WWW that he's pulling out and laying side by side. "Don't eat those just yet," she yelps before lunging forward to pick up the ones Steve had put aside.

As she studies each candy, the room's occupants watch as she waves her wand over each candy in determination but nothing happens. It's when Steve continues to comb through his treats does he find a card that's addressed to Eir.

Eir takes the card with shaking hands, nervous about what the card contains. As everyone notices her demeanor, they give her encouraging nods and she quickly reads the note before sighing and laughing. Clearing her throat, she sets the card face down. "I-it's a good thing you didn't eat those yet."

"Why?" Steve asks.

"Because they're Weasley Wizard Wheeze products," she flashes them a faint smirk. "George Weasley is a prankster extraordinaire. He and his twin had opened up their own joke shop a while back but after Fred's death, it took a while until George got back into the swing of things. These candies," she points out the ones in clear packaging. "Are what he's invented. He wants your input."

"Uh, what do they do?" Clint shifts nervously though he looks seconds away from figuring out what they do on his own.

Smirking once more, Eir plucks up the package of hard candies that vary in color. "Each color does something different. One will give you antlers, another will give you some type of animal ears, another color will give you an animal snout, another- whiskers, and another will give you some form of an animal tail." At everyone's shocked demeanor, she puts what she expects is a fear they're having at rest. "But don't worry, it'll only last until the candy dissolves."

There's a collective sigh of relief from various members and Eir giggles. "What about these?" Natasha asks as she holds up what appear to be muggle tootsie rolls.

"Ah, yes, those are a bit more fun," Eir smiles. "Those will change the color of your hair. Which ever color you chew is the color your hair will change to until you chew and eat the entire candy."

"And these?" Steve points to the remaining lollipops.

"Those will give you vocal cords of an animal," she tells him. "George didn't specify what animal you will sound like so good luck."

As Eir was explaining the candies and their effects, no-one saw as Pepper popped in a soft chew until Pepper giggles and they find her twirling purple hair around her finger. Tony pulls on a few strands to see if it's really her hair and when Thor's booming laughter gains their attention, the entire room finds it hard to not laugh at the God of Thunder sporting a cat's mouth in place of his nose and mouth, and twitching whiskers.

The room is coming down from the high of amusement when Eir notices Natasha staring at the candies in her lap thoughtfully. She gives the assassin her space and waits until Natasha looks up at her to voice what she's obviously thinking about.

When said red-head feels someone staring, she catches Eir staring at her and raises an eyebrow in question. Getting an eyebrow raised back, Natasha figures that's her cue to ask her question. "Is there a product that will change physical appearances other than animal parts as a joke?"

Eir shrugs after thinking about it, the only thing coming to mind being that of polyjuice. When she tells Natasha this, Clint suddenly finds this topic of discussion interesting. "Why? What are you thinking about?"

"Well," Natasha sighs. "If we can get our hands on something that can change our eye color, hair color and styles, as well as small physical changes that will make us unrecognizable, Fury will more than likely be glad to send us on solo missions again," she tells her. "Our covers have been blown ever since the Chitauri incident and we haven't had a solo mission in forever."

Clint perks up, his attention then whirling on Eir who looks rather amused. Before he can even ask, Eir holds up her hands in surrender. "Your guess is as good as mine," she laughs. "But since George is an inventor, I'm sure he can come up with what you want. I'll message him your ideas and see what we can come up with."

"Thanks," Natasha and Clint both seem excited by the aspect of getting to go out on their own once more.

As everyone then continues to look through their candy and even attempt to eat some of them, Eir thinks briefly on the card that George sent with Steve's gift. After a brief explanation of what the candies did and asking for their input, he went on to leave a quick note that he's expecting her input as well. Reading in George's handwriting that he doesn't hate or blame her for anything had left a brief lump of emotion in her throat but she was quick to swallow it down.

She stays with the group a little while longer before excusing herself to send a patronus to George- thanking him for the gifts and asking what Natasha requested- and another patronus to Draco. She figured he'd want to hear her input on everything that went down and not just what her friends told him.

* * *

**I realize Eir seems rather happy for someone who has been through what she's been through but trust me.. it doesn't last long.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is one set on Polyvore for this chapter.

 

After the gifts, Eir was glad to find that Steve and her friends found great amusement in their gifts from the Wizarding Realm. She promised to get them something better but the Avengers and Pepper were adamant that she didn't need to. What she had gotten them was perfect enough.

Bruce, Clint, and Steve were quite fond of the Sugar Quills right off the bat, Pepper and Natasha the hair color changing candies, Tony the chocolate frogs, and Thor the candies that gave him either ears or snouts or tails and animal vocal chords. The group spent a fair amount of time trying out the different candies and cracking jokes at one another while also testing their limits with the Firewhiskey.

Not even Natasha, the Russian Vodka Drinking Queen, could keep a grimace from twisting her features with only one shot.

As the night progressed, Eir started to feel antsy so she and Steve retired early to her room. Since Steve was the guest this time, she tried offering him her bed but he would have none of it. After playful arguing for more than ten minutes, both Steve and Eir ended up on the sofa after Eir magicked it bigger and softer. With her legs curled up to her side of the sofa, Steve stretched out his legs behind her back and the two watched television until they fell asleep.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

By the next morning, Eir finds herself wearing one of her Christmas gifts already. The gift from Bruce- the shawl cowl tunic- is comfortable and actually a bit warm. Paired with a pair of denim skinny jeans and black transparent lace ballet flats with little bows covering her toes, Eir combs her hair straight to let it hang and frame her face.

By the time Eir and Steve surface on the communal floor, Mousy has breakfast cooking and Thor is readying to depart to New Mexico for a few days before heading back to Asgard. Tony is practically drowning himself in coffee while Bruce readies his usual cup of morning tea.

The group eats a hearty breakfast and Thor is ready to return to New Mexico to be with Jane but not before Eir reminds him to not let any muggles who were not in the know about magic see his magical treats. With hugs, words of friendly love, and promises to keep an eye out for any future dark threats, Thor finally departs.

Bruce and Tony leave for the labs to work and tinker just as Natasha, Clint, and Pepper follow their noses to the kitchen. Steve and Eir declare a lazy day as the others eat, the duo- who have yet to actually talk about any type of relationship- falling easily onto the large sofa to watch television.

Steve and Eir are mindlessly watching the television screen in silence when Eir decides to stretch out. With her head cushioned by the arm rest and a sofa pillow, Eir kicks off her flats and place her feet under Steve's thigh only to have the man pull her feet out and place them in his lap. She wiggles her toes in his lap, giggling when he pulls at the smallest of her toes and then curling her toes inward when Steve runs his forefinger down the sole of her left foot.

Pepper and the assassin duo finish their breakfast quite quickly and Pepper is back in CEO mode and appears to be a woman on a mission as her heels click against the flooring. She thanks Mousy for the breakfast and tells Eir that she'll see her after work before disappearing in the elevator. Clint and Natasha are not that far behind the CEO but only disappear to the roof where a quinjet is set to pick them up and deliver them to the Helicarrier for paperwork when they find out that Steve and Eir plan on staying in the same spot for the entire day.

With promises of popcorn, non-leaping and non-pranking candy, Clint and Natasha leave to get their paperwork over and done with so they can come back and laze about.

The moment the floor falls silent with the exception of the voices coming from the TV, Eir flops on her back while bending one arm beneath her head and bending her knees to shove her toes under Steve's thigh once more. "So.."

"So.." Steve repeats, adjusting his position on the sofa and leaning on Eir's knees. "What?"

"I don't know. You tell me," Eir retorts, smiling as she closes her eyes and the duo lapse into a silence.

Steve laughs and shakes his head while leaning back and unbending Eir's knees to have her feet in his lap once more. "When did things between us become so awkward?"

"Probably around the time we admitted to being mutually attracted to one another but have yet to actually talk about it." Steve's chuckles come to an abrupt halt and Eir cracks open one eye to take a peek at him. He's staring down at her feet and she can see the redness of his embarrassment creeping up the side of his neck. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about," she calls him out on it. "We already got over the hard part. Admittance. Now all we have to do is actually do couple-y things."

"I-Is that what we are? A couple?"

"Uh, yeah," Eir scoffs before abruptly sitting up. "I don't kiss anyone just for the hell of it, Mr. Rogers, and I hope you don't do the same."

"N-no. Of course not," he is quick to assure her. "I was, well, I'm not sure what I was thinking," he finally admits, deeply breathing out before he starts tracing his fingers around her ankle. "I guess I was just waiting for you to bring it up. See how you labeled this-  _us._ "

"Well," Eir trails off, a grin slowly making itself known. "I've never officially had a boyfriend," she admits. "At least not one who I was able to hold hands with or go to parties with or even admit that he was my boyfriend in public. I'd like to finally experience that if that's okay with you."

"Y-you're sure you want that with me?" He avoids eye contact.

"Mhm," Eir hums in amusement.

"Well then that's what I want with you, too."

Steve finally looks up at her and catches her gaze, and Eir can't help the ear to ear smile that overtakes her small grin or the urge to suddenly lean forward and plant a kiss to his lips. There's a quick peck that quickly turns into two.. then three as she cups Steve's cheek. Feeling Steve smiling into the kiss only makes her smile more.

"Excellent," she then mumbles against his lips. "Now my boyfriend can take me for a ride on his motor bike that I've been too scared to ask before."

"My motorcycle?" He laughs as he pulls away just enough to take in her excited features. "You do know how cold it is outside, don't you?"

"Of course, I do," Eir rolls her eyes. "But you do remember that I'm a witch with a wand, don't you? Warming charms are quite handy."

It takes a moment for Eir's words to register in Steve's mind and when they do, he slowly matches Eir's amused expression before he's up on his feet and pulling Eir to hers. She laughs as he tries to pull her after him while at the same time she's trying to slip her feet back into her flats.

It appeared that a motorcycle ride was very near in her future.

..

..

By the time Natasha and Clint make it back to the tower with treats in hand, Eir is fast asleep on the sofa with her feet once again in Steve's lap. One arm rests along the back of the sofa while his other free hand is laying atop Eir's feet, and the assassin duo make quick work of popping popcorn and pouring candy into different bowls for easy access.

Just as Natasha plops down on one of the plush sofa chairs and Clint takes the floor between her and Steve so the Captain can have access to the treats, Tony strolls in to the room with the sleeves to his black Metallica t-shirt rolled up to his elbows and various oil stains on his jeans. Soot suspiciously covers his cheek bones but no-one questions it.

"Oohh, snacks." He makes a be-line for Clint who holds up a bowl of popcorn and a bowl of m&m's. "What are we watching?" Tony asks as he then moves to sit in the only available sofa chair.

"The Fifth Element," Natasha supplies as she maneuvers to drape her legs over the arm rest while leaning her back against the other.

Tony groans and Clint and Steve smirk in response. They know how much Tony loathes the movie. "Nope. No, we're not. JARVIS," He calls out to his trusty AI. "-play Wanted."

" _Right away, 'sir,_ " JARVIS replies.

"Assassins?" Natasha huffs with a roll of her eyes though she doesn't demand a different movie- Clint and Steve still smirking. "Could you be any more predictable?"

"You love it," Tony waves her off before gesturing towards Eir's sleeping form. "Should we wake the witch up? She won't want to miss this film."

Steve shakes his head, halting Tony from leaning forward and poking Eir awake. "Let her sleep," he tells his friend. "She hasn't been sleeping good for the past couple of days and she actually seems peaceful for once."

"Nightmares?" Natasha guesses, peering over her shoulder to look at the witch in question.

"I'm not sure," Steve shrugs. "She whimpers and cries in her sleep but when she wakes up, she doesn't remember anything. She's always happy so I don't question it."

"Has she talked about it?" Clint asks, keeping his eyes on the TV where the movie was now starting. "About that night."

"No."

"No?" Tony leans forward now, completely ignoring the beginning of one of his favorite movies. "Come on, Rogers, you know that isn't good for her. She needs to talk about. If not, everything's just going to build up-"

"I'm not going to force her," Steve cuts him off with a frown. "Would you want to talk about the night your own mother tortured you?"

"Fury still wants to brief her," Natasha suddenly throws in.

"Yeah, well, in Eir's words.. Fury can shove it," Steve deadpans.

Tony and Clint both choke on the popcorn they're shoveling into their mouths, Tony being the one to beam proudly at Steve while Natasha hides her grin. "I like the new you. You make me all tingly with amusement," Tony tells him before suddenly turning serious. "But I stand by what I say and I'm sure Assassin One and Two will agree with me. She needs to talk- to vent- or else it's going to be one ugly breakdown."

Steve lets Tony's words hang in the air and when Natasha nor Clint voice otherwise, he sighs deeply before staring down at Eir's sleeping face. With his finger tapping a random rhythm against her ankle, Steve slowly nods. "Soon. She'll talk soon."

With nothing else being said, the four Avengers turn their attention to the TV screen and settle in for a movie marathon.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

_Eir yawns long and spine-tingling good that she hasn't quite noticed her surroundings. She remembers falling asleep lying down so she's quite confused as to why she's sitting up, and when she tries to stretch, she realizes that she's bound to the chair she's in._

_Heart picking up speed, Eir lifts her head to finally take in her surroundings. The moist cave-like stone walls that are glittering with the dim lighting is a dead give-away to where she's at but no- that's impossible! She was in Manhattan when she fell asleep so how in the hell did she land herself tied up once more in the dungeon of her childhood home all the way in England?_

_She struggles against her bindings only to feel them tighten the more she moves. Whimpering out in pain and fear, Eir stops struggling, but at her cry of defeat- the sconces that are lined up along the ceiling of the room flare brightly. Eir cringes at the sudden brightness of the room and tries to calm herself when she realizes no-one is in the room with her._

_The door at the top of the stairs- that she sits directly across from- creaks open and Eir is suddenly alert again. She doesn't hear any heavy breathing or footsteps so when Natasha's head suddenly appears hovering mid-air, Eir tries her best to not startle._

" _Oh, Banning, what did they do to you?"_

" _Natasha?" Eir's brows furrow in confusion. The Black Widow is staring sadly at her- staring without really seeing- and the back of Eir's mind tingles with a memory. Shaking away her confusion for the time being, Eir wiggles in her seat. "Natasha, what are you-" A green light comes out of nowhere, striking the Black Widow dead center of her chest before she even sees it coming. The assassin falls dead to the ground and Eir chokes on a sob. "No! Tasha! No!"_

_She struggles harder against her bindings just as a familiar cackling sounds behind her. Eir doesn't care that her bindings are getting tighter- she only cares about getting free and avenging her friend's death. The door upstairs creaks open again and the cackling suddenly stops. "Agent Romanoff?"_

" _Steve?" Eir freezes, eyes going wide._

" _Down here, Cap. Bring one of the witches or wizards with you" Natasha's voice echoes around the room even though her body lies lifeless not two feet away._

" _No!" Eir screams as tears stream down her face. "Don't! Steve, don't come down here!"_

"Eir. Eir, wake up."

_Rushed footsteps sound and Eir struggles even harder against her bindings once more. Captain America- Steve- comes into view and skids to a stop right before her. "Eir?" And the moment her name leaves his lips, a green light hits him too._

" _No!" Eir wails as she watches her boyfriend fall dead before her eyes. "This isn't- this can't be real," She sobs._

" _Of course it isn't." The familiar voice of her mother coos next to her ear. "But this is."_

_Fingers snap right next to Eir's face and for a split second, her vision blackens. When her vision clears, she finds the room empty with the exception of her insane mother standing before her. She realizes that she's staring down at her mother rather than peering up, and when she tries to move her limbs, she realizes she's hanging once more from the ceiling._

_Tears instantly filling her eyes, Eir kicks out only to have her body swing back and hit the wall with a painful thud. "No, no, no.." She mutters. "This can't be happening." She closes her eyes tightly and wills herself to wake up from what only can be described as a nightmare. "This isn't real."_

" _Hmm, it might not be but it is familiar, is it not?"_

_Eir refuses to open her eyes, to see her Mum once more, but the sudden breeze hitting her stomach has her abdominal muscles clenching in fear. The burning sensation of the first cut has Eir crying out in pain._

"Eir! Wake up!"

Eir's eyes snap open but the lingering sensation of being carved alive has her still wailing. Hands grip her shoulders, keeping her in place once she starts to thrash and it's only seeing the horror struck face of Tony Stark over Steve's shoulder that has her quieting. Her vision blurs and she quickly blinks it clear only to pull back and stare wide-eyed at a shell-shocked Steve.

"S-she killed you. Y-you and Tasha. She killed you." Eir's bottom lip trembles and she suddenly finds herself being pulled into a hug. Steve is gripping her tightly as if he's afraid she's going to disappear on him when she notices that Tony keeps casting side-glaces to his right.

"It was a dream. Just a dream," Steve's voice practically rumbles through her. "You're safe now."

Eir can't stop trembling and when she sees Tony cast a glance to his side, she follows his gaze. Clint and Natasha are standing back- both equally as wary as the other- and the TV screen is shattered and smoking. Eir's heart clenches at the thought of her magic acting out while she was sleeping and when she can't calm down, the lights starting flickering.

"I'm s-sorry." She cries, her hands coming up to hug Steve back. "I didn't mean to do that."

"It's okay. You're safe now. That's all that matters."

The moment the words leave Steve's mouth, Eir breaks down in his arms. She's a mess of tears and possibly snot but none of it seems to phase the room's occupants. She's crying and crying, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. She realizes that no-one is telling her calm down or to get over it which just makes her sobs get louder as she gets it all out of her system.

The minuter her sobs get louder, though, glass shatters somewhere in the distance and Steve actually flinches. "Just get it all out, kiddo." Tony's voice is even and rough as she feels a hand that doesn't belong to Steve start rubbing a circle on her back. "Let it all out- scream if you must." He goes on to tell her. "We have a gym that's great for taking out your anger in."

There's a good minute or two where no-one says anything but Eir's crying doesn't let up. After hearing her continuous crying, Tony shakes his head. "Up. Get up," He tells the hugging duo. "We're going to the roof."

"Roof?"

"Yeah," Tony shrugs at Steve. "She needs to get it all out and I'm betting a good scream is what she needs."

"Tony, we don't have time-"

"Just trust me," he sighs and when Natasha or Clint don't deem it a bad idea, Steve frowns and stands while pulling up Eir with him.

..

..

By the time they make it to the roof, Eir is a sniffling mess who's tucked comfortably into Steve's side. Tony led the way with Clint and Natasha bringing up the rear, and with the wind whipping around Eir's hair she finally realizes that the sky is darkened and stars are twinkling.

Tony, Clint, and Natasha all spread out- Steve and Eir standing in the middle of a helicopter landing pad.

"Go on. Have at it." Tony spreads his arms wide as he gestures to the rooftop they're on. "Let the screaming rip through. It's soothing afterward."

Eir looks uncertain, not quite believing that this is Tony Stark's brilliant idea. Of course, she knows that letting it all out is what she needs- that she should have talked about her Mum kidnapping and torturing her sooner rather than later but she couldn't bring herself to speak of it. Looking around now, she's surrounded by those she's come to call her friends and her boyfriend.

Tony appears to be the only one who doesn't look at her, the billionaire choosing to lean against the glass wall railing of the roof top as he peers out over the city. Sniffling, Eir disentangles herself from Steve and stumbles a few feet away as he, Clint, and Natasha watch her with cautious eyes.

If screaming was the key to getting some of the weight off of her chest- her shoulders- well, then, she'd scream. Sort of.

She avoids the gazes that are locked on her, Eir sniffling as she slowly turns around in a circle as tears drip off her chin. Without so much as a word or a whimper, she lowers herself to the ground and transforms into her animagus form.

The white wolf whimpers as she trots around the rooftop in a circle- Steve, Clint, and Natasha tensing and spreading out even more to keep her away from the railings of the roof. The last thing they need is Eir attempting to do something stupid.

The wolf's whimpering is what catches Tony's attention but the moment he turns around and spots the wolf, the wolf sits back on it's haunches and throws it's head back in a howl. Every beating heart that's atop the rooftop clenches at the sorrow-filled howl, and for being people who are excellent at masking their emotions, there are a bunch of suspicious glassy eyes blinking rapidly and/or avoiding eye contact with everyone else.

A second howl pierces the air but tapers off in a whimper seconds later when the wolf lowers herself to lay on her stomach and rests her head atop her paws.

The four standing Avengers glance at one another now not knowing what to do.

"Is it- is it safe to approach her?" Tony asks.

Clint shrugs. "I dunno. Cap?"

Steve frowns and steps forward cautiously before squatting down. "Eir? You wanna change back now? We need to get back inside."

The wolf only whimpers in response, lifting it's head up to stare at Steve before snuffing and lying it's head back down.

"I take that as a no," Tony chuckles in the background. "Come on, Cap, pick her up. I didn't think it'd be this nippy out."

Steve rolls his eyes but as he sees each of his team members closing in around him and Eir, he notices that each of them are hugging themselves to keep warm against the wind. With a sigh, he cautiously reaches forward until his fingers meet the top of the wolf's head. When Eir merely twitches her ears, Steve stands before getting as close as possible and bending down to pick up the wolf.

With the wolf now cradled in his arms, Natasha and Clint lead the way back inside and back to the warmth.

..

..

As the team cram into the elevator, Steve completely forgoes the communal floor where everyone else gets off and continues on to the lower level where his and Eir's mini-apartments reside.

With a quick shout up to JARVIS, the AI is opening the door to Steve's room since his hands are full of wolf, and the soldier strides straight towards his bedroom.

It doesn't seem like Eir was going to transform back any time soon with what the slight whimpering still going on so instead of trying to coax her back into human form, Steve lays her on his bed. The moment he takes a step back though, Eir's whimpering gets louder as she lifts her head to stare at him.

"What?" Steve frowns. "What's wrong?"

Without changing back, Eir stands up on all fours and paws at the bed sheet- bringing it back to expose the bed. She wants him to lay down.

Steve's frown falters as he figures out what Eir wants and as he fidgets in place, Eir whimpers some more with her tail tucked between her legs. Sighing out, Steve starts to toe off his boots. "Only if you're sure," he mutters and could've sworn he saw the wolf roll her eyes. The second Steve sits down on his bed and moves around so he's comfortable enough to lay down, Eir walks over to him and curls up at his side, laying her head on his chest. Smiling to himself, Steve chuckles. "Don't get too comfortable. I still have to shower."

Eir snuffs at him and as Steve shoves one arm behind his head, he uses the other to lay on Eir's back and delve his fingers through the wolf's fur.

Without much warning, sleep consumes him.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

When Steve wakes, it's to an entirely different day. His room is dimly lit up and as he turns his head to the side towards his bedside table, he sees that it's barely after 9AM. The fingers on his hand that's not under his head twitch unconsciously and it's then he realizes the fur and warmth beneath them.

He had fallen asleep with Eir still in wolf form.

His head snaps to the left only to find Eir staring at him. The fur beneath her eyes have streaks or dark and matted down fur as if she had been crying. Bringing up his hand, Steve runs his fingers over her ears. "Did you sleep at all last night?" He yawns. The only answer he gets in response is a whine. "I'll take that as a no."

Eir whines again and Steve allows his eyes to close for a bit as he plays with her ears. He'd probably regret it later because this was a  _human_ but he can't stop his fingers. As his mind processes the previous day's events, he can't help but frown and not want Eir to wallow anymore.

Does she deserve a day to herself? Yes.

Does she deserve time to cope with what happened to her? Of course.

But the kidnapping and torture happened, and Eir had time to herself to cope. She was even given the chance to talk about it but she refused and while he doesn't want to push her, he doesn't want her to fall into a depression. Especially after yesterday's breakdown.

Groaning, Steve stops petting Eir and nearly rolls out of bed with Eir watching curiously. "Get up," he mutters, yawning and stretching some before settling his gaze on her. "I get it, okay? You went through something quite traumatizing and you're trying to deal but this," he gestures to her lounging quite pathetically on his bed. "This isn't going to make you better. Lying about in your wolf form and hiding away from others will only make you depressed. Trust me, I've been down that route after they thawed my body from nearly seventy years of being frozen." Eir whines yet again, laying her head on her crossed paws but Steve is having none of it. "Nope. Get up. Transform back right now and get your butt in the shower. Midnight tonight will mark the new year and you're not going to miss it. You're mother is locked away in another country and you're safe with us. It's time to celebrate, not hide away."

Eir continues to whine while staring up at Steve but all he does is cross his arms over his chest and stare right back. Her ears twitch and Steve rolls his eyes though the corner of his lips twitch upward in a smirk.

With a yawn turned sneeze, Eir stands up on all fours with a slight wag of her tail. Right before his eyes, Steve watches the awkward yet captivating transformation back into a human. The fur recedes and in it's wake is skin and clothes. Canine limbs elongate and shift into arms and legs, paws turn back into hands and feet, and the wolf head shifts and transforms back into a human head and hair.

Eir's skin is paler than normal, her hair is a tangled mess, and her eyes are swollen red and puffy. "Is my wand here?"

"Yes," Steve answers, moving towards the bedside table and pulling open the drawer. When he pulls out the wand, Eir scoots forward on the bed and takes it from him. "What are you doing?"

"Well if I'm going to take a shower, I need clothes," she mutters, standing up and straightening out her tunic. "I'll be right back."

Before Steve can suggest that Mousy bring her what she needs, Eir is gripping her wand tightly in hand and turning on the spot before disappearing with a distinct  _crack!_

Steve snaps his mouth shut and within a minute, there's another  _crack!_ and Eir is standing before him with her clothes rolled up and tucked beneath her arm, and a pair of navy converse hanging from her fingers.

They stare at one another for a brief moment and when Eir's gaze darts towards the bathroom, Steve stops her from leaving suddenly. "Are you okay?"

She sighs, tosses her shoes at the foot of Steve's bed, and takes a moment to think about it. "I'm getting there." Steve is on the verge of frowning and asking if she wants to talk about it but the attempt at a smile she gives him has him biting his tongue. "I'm just gonna," she trails off as she points towards the bathroom and Steve quickly nods.

"Yeah.. yeah. I'll just wait out here."

..

..

Throughout the entirety of Eir's shower, Steve paced his room. He managed to pick out his own clothes so he could shower next but that was as far as he'd gotten. No-one had bothered to check up on them- something that he was grateful for- and wondered if Eir would be up for the night's events. Knowing Tony, there was a party planned.

When Eir had steps out of the bathroom, her damp hair is twirled and pinned in a bun with her wand holding in it place. A violet and blue plaid shirt- with the top two buttons undone- hug her upper body, and a pair of khaki shorts showcase her long legs.

Steve's lips twitch at the plaid and khaki, and Eir actually smirks. "I totally wear it better."

He laughs, rubbing the back of his head and nods. "I won't argue with that."

She flashes him a genuine smile as she walks up to him, setting her palm against his abdomen and leaning up on her tiptoes to press a kiss under jaw. "I left my clothes in a pile in the corner. I'll have Mousy retrieve it later."

"That's fine. You going to wait in here or go see if anyone's awake yet?"

"I-I'll wait," Eir tells him. "I'll probably have Mousy bring me a light breakfast. Do you want anything?"

"Uh, no." Steve frowns at the thought of Eir eating her breakfast in the room and not out in the kitchen. "I'll eat after my shower with everyone else."

"O-okay." She smiles back, letting him head towards the bathroom for his own shower.

The second the door closes behind Steve, Eir lets out a deep breath and plops down at the edge of Steve's bed. She fiddles with the hem of her shorts before reaching for her shoes and pulling out the socks she had stuffed inside of them.

Steve was right. Of course he was right. Not only was she in a funk and headed down a dark path towards depression because of what had happened but she was in a funk as well because she was embarrassed.

Eir didn't cry in front of people. She wouldn't.

Ever since she was old enough to take a dark curse, it had been drilled into her head that crying meant you were weak. And last night, she cried in front of nearly everyone.

She hadn't meant to but the dream played on her fears of her friends dying because of her and she couldn't handle it. Plus, dreaming her Mum torturing her once more didn't help as well either. And well, once she had woken and found her magic acting out, the dam broke. And with the dam broken, she couldn't build it back up fast enough before her emotions got the best of her.

The water inside the bathroom turned on and Eir pulled on her socks. Instead of worrying over what the reactions would be when she eventually followed Steve to the communal floor, Eir stood and walked over to the recliner a few feet away. Once settled, she pulled her wand free from her hair and spelled it dry to let it hang in waves around her face.

"Mousy," she summons while laying her wand back on the bedside table.

Mousy appears with a  _crack!_ and dramatically bows before Eir. "Yes, Mistress?"

"Little Mouse," Eir playfully chastises, using Mousy's nickname. "What have I told you about calling me Mistress?"

Mousy immediately perks up and smiles. "Not to, Lady Banning."

Eir rolls her eyes while shaking her head but smiles nonetheless. "Right," she drawls before getting back on topic. "Will you bring me some breakfast, please? Yogurt and whatever fruit is available."

"Right away, Miss Banning." Mousy bounces happily in place. "Anything else?"

"No, thank you," Eir refuses. "But if any others are awake and asks about me, tell them Steve and I will be up shortly."

Mousy beams happily at her Mistress, glad to see that she's up and about and in good spirits. "Mousy will be back shortly." And with a farewell bow, the tiny house elf disappears with a  _crack!_

Eir sighs out deeply when Mousy leaves, picking up her feet and tucking them beneath her. It seems like she only has her eyes closed for a few seconds before the tell-tale sound of apparation sounds and Mousy is placing a tray in Eir's lap. "Mousy has found vanilla yogurt with a side bowl of sliced strawberries."

..

..

Eir is eating the last few slices of her strawberries when Steve steps out of the bathroom. He sees the empty tray in her lap and smiles at her, towel drying his hair as he pads barefoot towards her. When she sees that he's in khaki pants and a form-fitting white tee, she can't help but ogle him.

"I was wondering when you would start objectifying me," he chuckles.

Eir snorts in response, setting the tray aside and vanishing it to the kitchen. "I'm allowed to. I'm the girlfriend."

Steve's chuckles turn into a full blown laugh as he nears her and bends down at the waist to press a kiss to her lips. "Mmm, yeah, I remember." He kisses her again, this one a little longer than the first and less chaste. When he pulls away, he smiles and licks his lips. "Strawberries?"

"And yogurt," she breathlessly adds.

Before Steve can make fun of her, there's three obnoxiously loud knocks on the main door to his mini-apartment. Steve and Eir stare at one another and shrug when neither of them have a clue as to who it is.

" _Sir, I believe Mr. Odinson is waiting for you to open up."_ JARVIS' voice answers their unasked question.

Steve and Eir stare at one another yet again but before Steve can head for the door, Eir stops him. "Finished getting dressed," she tells him. "I'll answer the door and see what Thor wants."

Steve nods and as he heads to his closet, Eir leaves the room to go answer the main door. When another knock sounds, Eir rushes forward and pulls open the door with a grin.

"Friend Eir." Thor's voice booms, a smile slowly turning up the corners of his lips. "You look well this morning."

"Hey, Thor. Come on in." Eir waves him in.

When Thor enters, she notices that he's in his Asgardian gear complete with his cape and Mjölnir hanging from a leather strap around his right wrist. Once the door is closed behind him, Steve appears in the room dressed in a light blue plaid short-sleeve over his white-tee and dark brown boots on his feet. In his own hands, he has Eir's converse which he hands over as soon as he's close to her.

"Hey, Thor, what can we do for you this morning?"

Eir smiles at Steve as she takes her shoes, moving towards the sofa to sit down and slip them on her feet. She's in the middle of tying her shoes when Thor's answer catches her off guard. "I'm actually here for Eir," he tells Steve while his gaze darts between the soldier and the witch. "My father got a message to me saying that my Mother wishes to have an audience with her."

"W-with me? An audience with me?" Eir's voice comes out meek and she may or may not be a teeny bit scared.

"Yes." Thor nods, moving to stand closer to his long-time friend. "Just her, though. She wishes to speak with you for a moment or two. I'm to take you there and bring you back."

Eir bites her lip in contemplation, her heart thumping wildly when it's Steve who answers. "No."

She blinks owlishly at her boyfriend and Thor actually seems offended. "Excuse me?"

"No," Steve repeats. "Eir's not going to Asgard."

"I'm sorry, friend Steve, but I don't see how it's your decision to make."

Steve falters in his slight anger but doesn't give up. "I have some right to make that decision." He stands just a little taller now, puffing out his chest. "You weren't here last night. You didn't see the breakdown or the loss of control on her magic. She will not be traveling to another realm just when she's getting-"

"Steve," Eir's meek voice stops him mid-rant. "It's okay. It's- It's Frigga. I have to go. I  _need_ to go."

"You don't have to do anything." Steve turns to her now, moving to sit beside her on the sofa and takes one of her hands in his.

Eir stares back him, a sad smile making itself known as tells him she does. That Lady Frigga..  _Queen_ Frigga is a kind woman who would mean her no harm. She also has wise words of wisdom and given everything she's been through, a visit to Frigga would probably soothe some of her anxiety and fears.

All the while they talk, Thor is watching them with curious eyes. "Friend Rogers.. are you- are you courting Lady Eir?" Steve blushes as Eir laughs and nods at Thor's question. Immediately, Thor beams. "This is most excellent news! Mother will be quite pleased about your decision," he tells Eir before giving Steve his full attention. "And friend Steve, once we return, I greatly look forward to having  _the talk_ with you."

"T-the talk?" Steve gulps and Eir snickers.

"Yes," Thor nods proudly. "I believe all big brothers speak with the male courting their little sister," he explains. "And while we are not related by blood, we are still family."

Steve reluctantly nods and gulps when Thor's friendly smile suddenly turns rather threatening in a friendly way. Averting his gaze to Eir, he sighs. "There's no changing your mind, is there?"

"Nope." She shakes her head, popping the 'p'. "I'm sure it'll be a quick trip there and back."

"A quick trip indeed," Thor supplies. "Mother only wishes for a talk and quick catch up. They've assured me that Lady Eir will be back in time for the New Year."

Steve sighs but knows that even though he told Thor he did have a say in what Eir was going to do, he really didn't. It's Eir's life and he'd let her do whatever it is she pleases. He was just grateful that she didn't call him out on it in front of Thor but he's pretty sure he'll get an earful when they're alone.

"Fine," Steve finally concedes. "But we're going up to the communal floor and you're telling the rest of the team about your visit to Asgard."

Eir frowns but it quickly turns into a small grin. "Fine. Let's go!"

* * *

**I am so sorry! I'm a terrible writer. I know you were expecting some sort of PTSD but I'm not that great of a writer and all I could come up with was this.**

**Now as for this trip, while I have seen Thor and Thor 2, I'm not comfortable at all writing about or even attempting to describe Asgard and the character of Frigga. I would do it no justice at all so while Eir leaves for her trip, we'll be staying at Avengers Tower with Steve and the others.**

**Sorry to disappoint you.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please remember that while Thor takes Eir to see his Mother, I'm going to focus on what goes on at the Tower. When Eir gets back, she'll fill them in on what the trip was about.
> 
> The beginning of this chapter continues from where we left off in the previous chapter hence the plaid and khaki comment here in the beginning.
> 
> Click [HERE](http://www.polyvore.com/second_chance_chapter_twenty_two/set?id=117718686) for this chapter's set on polyvore.

 

The ride in the elevator up one level is a bit uncomfortable for Steve but rather amusing for Eir and Thor. While Thor stands in one corner of the elevator with his body angled towards the new couple, his arm crossed over his puffed up chest- Eir stands tucked into Steve's side with one arm around his waist as she hides her snickers in her shoulder, and Steve fidgets under Thor's gaze.

And then the second the door pings open, Steve breathes a sigh of relief as Eir follows Thor off the elevator and Steve follows behind her. Though the second Tony, Clint, and Natasha come into view- Eir becomes slightly tense and a bit sheepish.

"Oh my god," Tony groans playfully while pointing at Eir and Steve. "There's two of them! How are there two of them?" He asks Clint. "So much plaid and khaki."

Clint cracks and amused smirk while he continues to eat his Lucky Charms without saying anything. By the smirk that stays on his face and the slip of amusement that passes over Natasha's features, Eir guesses they're in a good mood.

"Shut it, Sparky," Eir grins at him. "We look good in what we wear. We own it."

"Oh good. The sassy witch is back. How you holding up, kid?"

Eir's lips twitch at Tony's blunt statement though as she thinks about it, she can't help but feel embarrassed. "I'm sorry for last night. That was-"

"Expected," Natasha cuts her off. "There's no need for an explanation. All that matters is that you're getting back in the swing of things."

"About that," the witch fidgets now, averting her gaze as Steve comes up to her side for support. "I've been summoned to Asgard by the Queen. I'll be taking a trip up there right now and Steve said I should tell you all before I left."

"Summoned? What do you mean by summoned?" Clint asks with a mouth full of cereal.

"Lady Frigga wants to see me," she shrugs. "And I want to see her. It'll just be for a little bit."

"A couple hours, Midgard time, at most," Thor throws in. "I've been told she'll be back for the New Year."

"Damn right you will," Tony huffs, hands on his hip as if he's a disapproving parent. "Point Break, you better bring her back on time. Pepper's putting together a gathering for tonight. We're watching fireworks from the roof."

"All will be well, friend Stark," Thor vows, clenching his right hand into a fist and pressing it to the left side of his chest in a brief bow. "After all, you and friend Clint shall join me on my endeavor to give friend Rogers the  _big brother talk._ "

Clint and Natasha freeze mid-chew as Tony's brows pull together in confusion. "Big.. brother.. talk?"

"Oh god," Steve groans so lowly that only Eir hears. Deciding to out them now rather then later, Eir sneaks her arm around Steve's waist and leans her head against Steve's arm, beaming at the room's occupants.

Piecing together the closeness, Eir's smile, and Steve's blush- the room comes to the conclusion rather quickly. "Finally," Tony crows. Eir and Thor both laugh as Tony gives Steve the most wolfish smile he can muster up. "Captain, as soon as your  _girlfriend_ leaves," there's so much emphasis on girlfriend that Steve groans yet again. "-we're having a talk."

..

..

It's only been a few minutes since Eir's departure and Steve's already regretting not trying to tag along.

Tony and Clint have been staring at him with knowing smirks and they want  _all_ the details. Natasha had called them something in Russian- which he very quickly translated to  _teenage girls-_  and left for the gym leaving them to their talk.

"How long has this been going on?" Clint finally breaks the silence.

"Who asked who?"

"Did you cry?"

"Have you slept together?

"..."

Steve groans, letting his head fall back on the back rest of the sofa chair. "Seriously, Tony? Did we sleep together?" He shakes his head in disbelief. "We barely became official yesterday."

"Well how was I supposed to know," Stark is quick to defend himself. "Clint asked but you didn't answer."

"Natasha was right. You are teenage girls."

Clint laughs as Tony perks up at having finally realized what the Russian assassin had mumbled on her way out. "We are totally  _not_  girls! We're far more mature," he admits with a flip of his non-existent head of hair.

Clint nods in agreement before laughing and adding, "Good looking women."

"Good one, bird boy. Good looking  _women_. Not girls," Tony amends and now Clint's scowling at him for the nickname.

"You guys are unbelievable," Steve shakes his head at them. "I'm going to see if Natasha wants to spar."

As Tony and Clint suddenly get sidetracked by what their 'woman' name would have been, Steve ducks out of the room.

..

..

Surprisingly, as it turns out, Natasha wasn't all that better in the company department.

Sure she was pleased to have a sparring partner that could actually keep up with her but Steve wasn't prepared for Natasha's sudden interest in his relationship with Eir after thirty minutes of sparring. While he was happy she didn't ask about the who asked who or how long they'd been together, she was determined to find out whether or not both of them were in the right mind set when making it official.

"Uh huh," Steve grunts as he dodges a swing of Natasha's fist. "We know what we're doing." He jumps up now, narrowly missing a swipe of Natasha's leg as she decides to get in some floor work. "It's both our idea to take things slow for a while."

Natasha feigns a leg swipe but the moment Steve readies to jump, she falls back on her hands and catches Steve in the stomach with her feet, and shoves him back. He falls hard on his back, gasping for air when Natasha is suddenly standing above him. "Good," she smiles down at him. "Because as everyone else, I've grown quite fond of the witch. You break her heart, I'll break your face."

"Noted," Steve immediately blurts with wide eyes.

"Excellent. Now get up, Rogers." Natasha holds out a hand to help him up. "We've got several hours to kill before Thor brings your girlfriend back.

..

..

By the time lunch rolls around, Bruce and Pepper already know of Steve's relationship status courtesy of Tony. Bruce is quiet and vague with his joy over them finally becoming a couple but Pepper is anything but quiet. She's over the moon that Steve has found someone and that that someone is Eir who she completely adores.

She pretty much asks the same thing as everyone else- who asked who, how long has it been going on, and whether or not they were sure they weren't jumping into something without really thinking about it. But since Pepper is Pepper and everyone is terrified of Stark's girlfriend, Steve answers her questions with a forced smile while Tony and Clint snicker behind his back.

Mousy had whipped them up a pot roast with potatoes and a side salad for lunch- a lunch which left everyone groaning at how full they were- and conjured up ice cream sundaes for dessert. Tony, Bruce, and Steve were the only three who took the dessert with child-like grins and shoveled said dessert into their mouths.

..

..

The hours slowly ticked by, the novelty of teasing Steve about having a girlfriend having dwindled without Thor there to help them. As Tony and Clint gave it up, Steve moved to kill some time by having another shower and watching trash TV.

The TV didn't hold his attention for long- his mind always wandering back to what Frigga wanted to speak with Eir about and whether or not Eir was holding up fine in Asgard. He knew that Thor would make sure she was fine but he couldn't help but worry. After all, even though he'd never admit it aloud, she was part of his responsibility now just as he was hers. They would both always have enemies but at least now they had a support system to always have their back.

Another round in the gym, but this time with punching bags, had left Steve feeling antsy. He was just itching for Eir to be back already and it was then he realized he didn't like being away from her. It dumbfounded him how attached he already was but quickly shoved that to the back of his mind. He wouldn't make a big deal out of it and risk scaring her off.

When the sun fell and stars started to twinkle in the sky, Pepper found Steve and told him it was time to get ready for the night's events. So Steve took his third shower of the day for the night and instead of his usual plaid and khaki, he decided to shock his teammates. He pulled on a blue v-neck henley, dark washed jeans, and a pair of fold over weathered leather boots. When he stepped out on the floor where it was usual for everyone to gather now-a-days, Clint was the one to wolf-whistle all in good fun and gather everyone's attention on Steve. Tony smirked appreciatively as did Natasha and Pepper winked playfully. Bruce was the only one to raise a curious eyebrow but didn't say anything on the matter.

Again, the hours ticked by but still no Eir. The small gathering ended up being only the Avengers themselves and Pepper- Tony, Clint, and Natasha pulling together their Firewhiskey to make it a night they wouldn't forget. Or a night they would forget but end up knowing the following day it was well worth it.

Steve had tried Firewhiskey for the first time, shocked that the liquid made him splutter. He knew some alcohol burned your throat but the whiskey actually felt like fire when it settled in his stomach. He didn't know whether to be terrified of the drink or drink some more because when the burning died down, it was actually pretty good.

The hours ticked by some more and the later it got, the group moved up to the roof. The closer it got to midnight, the more Steve felt anxious because Thor had vowed they'd be back before the clock struck twelve. The drinks kept getting passed around and the night sky was slowly becoming more and more lit up with fireworks as midnight came closer.

The ball that fell in Town's Square was view-able from atop Stark Tower but that was old news when you had a mad genius loaded with money. Clint lit up like a child on Christmas morning when Tony brought out his home-made fireworks but deflated when Pepper pointed out they had no pipe of sorts to launch the fireworks in the sky. Drunken Tony and Clint put their heads together as Steve and Bruce- the only two who were completely sober- watched on in amusement. Clint loudly suggested they tie the fireworks to his arrows as he shot them in the sky but Natasha quickly squashed that idea by telling him his arrow had to land somewhere and they were not risking impaling an innocent bystander.

Tony had barely mentioned about flying his suit when Pepper shut the idea down and told him not while he was drunk.

The identical pouts Clint and Tony sported was well worth a laugh.

..

..

It was minutes before midnight now and Steve's anxiety hit him hard. There was still no sign of Eir and the night sky had calmed down- the city folk waiting for exactly midnight to let loose with their biggest and brightest firework.

Tony had scuttled over to Pepper and Clint not-so-surprisingly to Natasha while Steve and Bruce shrugged and stood to watch the city ring in the New Year.

Three minutes before midnight and the unexpected yet expected rumbling from the sky makes the roof's occupants freeze and peer upward. Lightning lights up the sky and they see a vortex of clouds beginning to form and tunnel downward.

"Hey, Cap," Tony slurs from across the roof. "Looks like Thor made good on his promise."

Steve ignores the drunken man's words, hope blossoming as the vortex of clouds directly above them open up in a portal and a galaxy like no other is visible just beyond the portal's opening. There's a bright flash, a beam of light hitting the tower dead in it's center, and a boom which causes everyone to flinch and shield their eyes.

"My friends!" Thor's voice booms ecstatically. "Happy New Year!"

One by one, they all blink their vision clear and turn their attention towards the middle of the roof. Thor is standing there, cape billowing in what little wind is blowing and next to him- next to him Eir. Eir who looks 10x healthier given how her skin seems to be illuminated in the night. But that's not the only thing that catches Steve's attention nor is the ecstatic smile marring her face.

No. It's the clothing that she's reappeared in and if he knows he's ogling his girlfriend, he knows that so are his friends.

"Damn," Tony wolf-whistles. "Cap, you pick 'em good."

Steve doesn't bother telling his friend to shutup because well, Tony's right. Eir's smiling- no beaming- at him and practically bouncing on her tiptoes. She's wearing a pale pink and purple halter top with gold trimming, the material only covering her front and forming a triangle with cutout sides. So much skin is showing that Steve's wondering why all of a sudden she's comfortable with so much skin on display when she wasn't before.

Her skirts falls to her feet- the sheer lace pink and purple fabric billowing in the wind as does the lace covering draped over her shoulders and arms.

The night sky suddenly ignites in sparks of different colors as fireworks explode exactly at midnight, and before anyone else can speak, Eir strides forward and she swiftly brings up her right hand to latch on back of Steve's neck. She brings him down into a surprisingly heated kiss and the team whoops and cheers around them.

Eir dominates the kiss for a few seconds but when Steve's surprise wears off, his arms snake low around Eir's waist to hold her more closely and tightly to him. With his body slightly bowed over her so she could reach his lips, Eir's other hand snakes up Steve's chest until her arms eventually wrap around his neck.

Ignoring the whooping and cheering, Steve fights off a blush to focus on his overly happy girlfriend. His tongue slips in once more to brush against Eir's and as Eir pulls out of the kiss, he has to swallow down a groan as Eir nips at his bottom lip.

"Hey," she breathlessly greets him. "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year," Steve chuckles right back, a smile stretching from ear to ear as he swoops in for another kiss.

..

..

Once inside and after Thor solved Tony and Clint's problem of getting Tony's home-made fireworks into the sky- in which Tony and Clint lit fuses while Thor launched them into the sky with his God-like strength- everyone settled inside while Mousy served them hot chocolate.

They were scattered around the kitchen- Clint and Natasha sitting atop the counters while Bruce, Steve, Eir, and Pepper sat on stools around the bar. Tony- well Tony was a drunk who couldn't keep still for more than thirty seconds so he was practically walking in circles around the kitchen to keep himself occupied while he asked the questions everyone wanted to know, and Thor was leaning against the counter next to Natasha with his arms crossed over his chest as Eir told them about her trip to Asgard.

"Not that I don't enjoy the change- because I do, I really do," Tony rambles. "But what the hell happened from the time you left this morning 'til now? You were a hot mess last night- no offense," he tacks on when Pepper gasps and glares at him. "This morning you were better and now- now it's like nothing ever happened."

Eir snorts into her hot chocolate, licking the whip cream off her top lip. "I vented," she shrugs with indifference. "While I adore all of you here, I couldn't- I couldn't talk about all that has happened with you. I didn't want to burden you with my past and it's horrors."

"It wouldn't have been a burden," Steve murmurs, reaching to the side to squeeze her knee. "Whether you know it or not, you're one of us now and we take care of our own."

The witch's lips twitch as she offers him a grin as well as the kitchen's occupants who are nodding along with Steve's words. "I figured you'd say something similar but I still couldn't bring myself to vent to you lot. And with Queen Frigga- she had heard everything from Heimdall so I couldn't lie to her."

"And vented led to dress-up time," Tony flails his arm up and down as he gestures to her clothes.

"Well, yeah," Eir laughs. "I vented, we cried, she coddled, and then she made me over. Which, by the way, look!" She jumps off her stool, facing forward and lifting the triangular slip of fabric covering her abdomen. "Asgardian potions are stronger than ours," she beams as she shows them the flawless skin- her  _traitor_ scar now gone. "It canceled out the dark magic embedded in the scar that was keeping it from fully healing and  _poof._ This one is also gone," she thrusts out her arm to show her her inner forearm where the faded dark mark is no longer. "I'm now scar free and mark free."

"Holy shit! Congrats, kid," Tony bellows before pouring himself another drink. Eir would never understand Tony's need to call her kid but she didn't mind the nickname so she'd let him get away with it.

Everyone seems stuck between gaping at her and feeling ecstatic for her since she no longer has to bear that horrendous scar, and it's Steve who reaches out for her and brings her closer. His smile is from ear to ear and without moving out of her boyfriend's grasp, Eir stays still as Steve's fingers ghost over her abdomen before they trail over to her arm.

"That's amazing."

"Right?!" Eir giggles.

With Steve oddly fascinated by her skin, Eir takes a moment to look at everyone watching them. Tony's obviously drunk even as he continues to drink as is Clint who's swaying back and forth from his spot on the counter. Pepper looks seconds away from falling asleep- her dopey expression causing Eir to laugh some more and Natasha looks too collected though the glossy eyes give away her state of inebriation.

"How much did you lot have to drink?"

"Only a little bit," Pepper hiccups, holding her thumb and forefinger less than an inch apart to falsely show how much they've drank. "I don't know how you do it. Firewhiskey is strong."

"It is," Eir smiles. "Which is why I only drink a shot or two and then drink butter beer for the rest of the night. Butter beer, while delicious, has very little alcohol and takes numerous bottles before you feel a buzz." Pepper groans but Eir finally decides to take pity on her. Summoning Mousy, Eir waits patiently until the tiny house elf appears once more.

"Yes, Lady Banning?"

"I need four hangover potions, please."

Mousy nods in understanding and an odd giggle when she realizes nearly everyone is drunk, and with a snap of her spindly fingers, the pantry door which doubles as the creature's room opens up and four vials of potions fly out. Eir plucks them out of the air with a quick thanks to her house elf- Mousy disappearing almost immediately- and sets them down on the counter.

"Tony, Pepper, Clint, and 'tasha," she gains their attention. "Each of you drink one of these when you wake up in the morning and within a few minutes, you'll be good to go."

"Thank god," Clint groans. "I was already planning my funeral for the morning. I'm too old to be this drunk."

Steve, Eir, Bruce, and Thor snicker at the archer's now green complexion though he's gulping down quite a lot to keep himself for upchucking.

As they quiet down and the drunks in the room become eerily quiet, Eir reaches down for Steve's hand and tugs him out of his seat. When he raises his eyebrows at her in questioning, she merely shrugs and yawns. "Sleep," she tells him before looking to Tony who's watching them and attempting to waggle his eyebrows. "You lot continue drinking or whatever it is you do on this day but Steve and I are going to bed." Tony wolf-whistles and Eir playfully glares at him. "Bed to sleep, Stark. Get your mind out of the gutter." Tony now pouts and Eir gives her attention to Thor. "If you head back to New Mexico before going home, tell Ms. Foster I say hello."

"Will do, my friend," Thor beams at her. "Sleep well." As Eir smiles and and turns around, Thor's voice rings out again. "And Captain Rogers, do not forget we have a  _talk_  to be had."

Natasha suddenly giggles- honest to Merlin giggles- and Steve blushes from the tips of his ears and down to his neck. "Don't bother. Ms. Romanoff already threatened to break my face, and later kill me and hide the body."

Thor booms with laughter and Eir drags Steve into the elevator to head towards his room. "Ay," Thor grins. "Then I shall depart with a few words of my own." Eir stops the elevator from closing so Thor can say what he's gotta say and watches on in amusement as all traces of humor leave Thor's face. "You hurt Lady Eir and I will bring Mjölnir down upon your head, and not even the super soldier serum will save your life."

Eir's eyes widen and Steve gulps, the doors to the elevator closing as Tony and Clint cackle like drunken women in the background.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

When Steve and Eir slowly wake up, it's surprisingly just after 3P and the both of them are quite shocked that they slept in so late. There hadn't been much of an argument after the two had changed into their sleep wear and Eir finally got to cuddle her boyfriend while she was her and not the wolf.

Steve had fell asleep on his back and Eir was turned on her side facing him with her head pillowed by one of his arms. They seemed to have stayed in the same position the entire night with the exception of Eir's left leg that was brought up and settled atop Steve's thigh.

"Morning," she sleepily mumbles, stretching awake before moving her cheek to Steve's shirt-clad chest and nuzzling him.

"Afternoon," he corrects in greeting, stretching as well before squeezing Eir just a little bit closer to his side.

They lay there in a moment of silence before Eir breaks it. "I feel like we should get up but I don't actually care at the moment."

"Ditto," Steve mumbles into her hair. "But I really need to use the bathroom right now so what about a compromise?" Eir hums in thought so he knows she's paying attention. "We get up, freshen up, and move this to the sofa."

"Deal."

Steve's hums in agreement, letting his eyes fall back close but neither of them move. Not until Eir starts giggling and Steve groans before laughing himself. It takes more than a few minutes but Steve and Eir manage to finally get up, Eir refusing a good morning kiss or peck before their teeth are brushed.

With a reluctant sigh, Steve tells Eir to use the bathroom first but Eir refuses. "I've got my own bathroom, Captain. You use yours, I'll use mine. I'll meet you on the sofa."

He tiredly agrees, moving in to peck her forehead before shuffling towards his bathroom while Eir picks up her wand from the bedside table. Picking up her rather risqué Asgardian clothing, Eir smiles at the memory of letting Queen Frigga dress her. Eir knew that Asgardian women normally wore clothing that were very conservative so she was quite shocked to see the lace fabric and halter top. Of course, the mischievous glint in Frigga's eyes didn't go unnoticed and Eir figured Frigga intended to shock Steve. After all, Heimdall saw everything and Queen Frigga definitely approved.

Turning on spot, Eir apparates to her bathroom where she drops her clothes atop the hamper and makes quick work of freshening up. She uses the facilities, washes her hands thoroughly before washing her face so she's more awake. Eir's in the middle of brushing her teeth when she remembers she's a witch and that there are re-freshening charms for this type of thing. After spitting out toothpaste and rising her mouth, Eir picks up her wand and waves it over her body. Immediately, she feels fresh and clean without having taken a shower. Her hair still looks out of place so pulling it free from it's rubber tie, Eir runs her fingers through the tangles and after they're all out, she ties her hair back up.

When Eir appears back in Steve's room, the room is empty and the door to the bathroom is left open. The witch frowns and steps out of the room towards the small living room where Steve is casually waiting for her still in a white tee and gray sweat pants.

"No fair. I've got magic and you still beat me."

"You're also a female," Steve retorts with a small smile. "From what I've learned, females take longer than males when getting ready."

Eir opens her mouth to fire back but snaps it close and shrugs. He does have a point.

Taking Eir's silence as agreement, Steve smirks and raises his left arm so she could sneak in and cuddle. Pulling down the fitted gray v-neck, Eir pads around the sofa and plops in the spot Steve had left open for her. The moment she snuggles in, legs curled up with her head on his shoulder, Steve brings his arm down to hold her in place. Steve lets his head fall back against the back of the sofa and instead of turning on the television, they sit in silence.

"I can get used to this," he mumbles, turning his head so Eir's head was tucked beneath his chin. "It's going to be weird when we get back to our separate apartments. For only being a couple of days, I've gotten used to sleeping in the same room with you."

Eir snorts but doesn't lift her head. "As if you'll be going back to your apartment," she mutters before leaning out of Steve's side to look him in the eye. "Tony's had you under his roof for quite a while now and I don't see him letting you go anytime soon."

"Just because Tony wants me here doesn't mean I want to be here," he shrugs. "I like my apartment because one, it's mine and away from all the crazy that goes on here. And two, I have this really good looking building buddy that it'd be a shame to miss teasing every morning."

"Har-har," Eir deadpans which causes Steve to chuckle. "You know, Tony's offered me a place here once before and I'm pretty sure if you wanted to move in and mentioned about not liking the idea of leaving me a few blocks away he'd offer again."

"Yeah but would you want to move in here?"

Silence falls over the couple before Eir finally speaks. "I don't know. Mousy loves catering to everyone's needs here and I wouldn't want to take her away. Blimey, if I'm being honest with myself, I've grown quite attached to everyone here. But if I were to move, I'd permanently extend my lease at the building so if I ever needed an escape from all the crazy, I'd still have my own place to escape to."

It's silent once again as Steve mulls over her words. If he were being honest, he'd admit that a part of him did want to move in to Avengers Tower. While they had learned to become a unit years ago after the Battle of New York, they'd become more family-like with Eir thrown into the picture. There was no doubt in his mind that when he and Eir started to pack up to head back to their building, Tony would find excuses for them to stay longer.

"You know, that's actually not a bad idea," he finally admits. "Extending the leases permanently," the sound of Steve's phone ringing cuts him off and he tenses next to Eir. "That's the ringtone for S.H.I.E.L.D," he frowns. "They only call when there's a mission."

Eir quickly moves away as Steve gets up, rushing to his room where his phone last was. She hears him answer it and his voice lowers as he gets the details to the mission they're more than likely sending him on. A few moments later, Steve returns with a frown.

"Avengers are suiting up. They have a problem that grew too quickly over in California. Something about robots."

"Robots. Really," Eir snorts in amusement. "Do they need me to tag along?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Everyone got the call and Tony knows where you are. If Fury thought you were needed, they'd have told Tony to alert you and JARVIS hasn't said anything."

"Mhm. Well if you run into any problems, call Mousy," Eir grins. "She might be little but she packs a punch. Her magic is nearly as powerful as a wizard's."

"Will do. You going to be okay here?"

"Yes, sir. I'll probably annoy Pepper while you're all away." She quickly stands to her feet, pecking Steve quickly on the lips. "And when you get back, we'll talk to Tony about if he's got extra rooms to spare."

"You know he does," Steve's quick to pull her in for another chaste kiss. "See you later. I need to suit up."

"Later," Eir agrees. "Go save the world, Captain America."

* * *

**I'm well aware that Eir gets over her trauma quite quickly but I'm absolute shit at writing angst. I hope you're not too mad.**

**From here on out, everything's going to be easy going for Eir and the team. Loads of happiness. I'm not even joking, haha.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two outfits were made for this chapter- both are in this [SET](http://www.polyvore.com/second_chance_chapter_twenty-three/set?id=118018222).

 

Eir catches Steve just before he's rushing out the door, his cowl having fell from his hands without his knowledge in his rush to meet up with the team. She stops him as she picks it up and hands it to him, standing up on her tip-toes to press a quick kiss to his lips and wishes him to be safe. Steve smiles and rushes out into the hallway, and Eir watches his back as he makes his way to the elevator.

That Captain America suit was really  _tight_ and it did wonders for her boyfriend's arse.

Snickering to herself and waving at Steve as the elevator doors close, Eir shuts herself back into Steve's room and back over to the sofa where her wand laid. As she picks it up, she apparates to her room and has JARVIS keeping her updated about who's all leaving and staying behind. Surprisingly, everyone has been called in and suited up already heading up to the roof where a quinjet is going to pick them up.

When the Avengers finally depart to go save the world, Eir decides that the freshening up charms were not enough and quickly showers before she heads up to find Pepper. With a towel wrapped around her frame, Eir heads into her closet to find something to wear. Almost immediately, her eyes land on a white comic print bralet top that she had purchased on a whim when she first moved to the city but never wore because of all the skin it displayed. But now- now she feels a lot more comfortable in her skin and the top would go great with her Avenger comic book high heels that Tony had given her. If anything, Pepper would get a laugh at her for actually wearing them.

Tying the towel around her waist, Eir makes quick work of slipping on the bralet and zipping it up before making her way to her dresser. She has a pair of high-waist leather shorts that she has yet to wear so after slipping on a low-rise black thong under her towel, she drops said towel after she finds the shorts and slips those on as well.

Atop her dresser, a jewelry box sits there where her new jewelry sat because she's never had a special occasion to wear any of it. But since she's feeling playful for some reason, and dorky given the heels she's about to put on, Eir digs out her dragon claw clutching a pearl necklace that Clint had given her and slips it on around her neck. It doesn't really go with her comic theme but it's still a brilliant piece of jewelry.

And then when the heels are slipped on and Eir walks with an air of confidence she hadn't felt since, well forever, she makes quick work of tackling her damp hair. There's an off-center part in her hair and deciding to go with the flow, Eir twists a roll on each side of the part before pulling them back and tying them together a low ponytail.

Tucking her wand into the back waistline of her shorts, Eir turns everything off in her mini-apartment before inquiring about Pepper's whereabouts. "JARVIS, is Ms. Pott's currently in the building?"

" _Yes, Ms. Banning. Ms. Pott's is currently one floor up from your current position. Would you like me to inform her you're looking for her?"_

"No, that's alright. I'll go to her. Thank you, JARVIS."

" _You are most welcome, Ms. Banning."_

Eir smirks at the AI's response, wondering just how Tony- a muggle- made everything he has without any magic. But with Pepper's location at the forefront of her mind, she decides to go find the woman to keep her company and wonder about Tony's excellent muggle inventions another day.

..

..

When Eir strides out onto the communal floor, there's no need to call out for Pepper seeing as the person in question is sitting on the edge of her seat on the sofa with the TV stationed on the World News and the current attack in California.

Eir eyes the screen boredly, the robots that the Avengers have been called in to dispatch of being about two feet in height and not at all dangerous looking. Before Eir can grab the strawberry blonde's attention, the clicking of her heels do it for her.

Turning around, Pepper's right eyebrow raises at Eir's outfit before her eyes travel down and she laughs at the shoes. "You actually wore them?"

"Of course," Eir grins as she comes to a stop by the sofa, turning her foot this way and that way to get a look at her shoes. "They might have been a joke but I couldn't pass up the chance to wear them when I realized I had this top. And this top a great two finger salute to my mum and her  _always dress like a lady_  lecture."

"And what a cute top it is," Pepper retorts with a laugh, her gaze darting back to the TV screen before going back to Eir. "I wish I had the confidence to wear something like that."

"Don't see why you don't. You have a wicked body," Eir chirps and smiles at Pepper's bark of laughter as she takes a seat on the arm rest of the sofa, crossing one leg over the other. "How dangerous is this situation?"

"Not sure yet. The robots might be small but there's literally hundreds of them." Pepper purses her lips in contemplation and is watching for the moment the Avengers show up. "The new villain goes by the name of Doctor Dread." Eir snorts and Pepper keeps on with her explanation. "Apparently S.H.I.E.L.D had several agents tailing him to keep him in line when they found out just how much of a genius he was but they hadn't kept that close of an eye and well," she gestures to the screen where the tiny robots are crawling over buildings and cars and knocking people to the ground. "-that happened."

"I see," Eir murmurs. "But they're not killing anyone. That's weird, is it not? Most villains kill?"

"That is," Pepper sighs and leans back. "Wouldn't be the first time someone made a ruckus just to gain attention. He probably heard of S.H.I.E.L.D and was hoping for recruitment."

The camera capturing the tiny robots and their destruction suddenly snaps upward to the sky and the familiar sight of a quinjet lingering in the air has Eir smiling brightly. Huh. Who knew that the quinjet was that fast?

Iron Man and Thor land first and it's quite humorous when the robots direct their attention to them. Thor actually stumbles back in shock and Tony starts kicking away the incoming metal bots when he's not shooting them with his repulsors. Thor is bending low at the waist to hit the robots with his hammer but it's too much crouching that he eventually gives up and starts kicking like Tony which is quite the sight to see.

"I don't know whether to be worried for their safety or laugh," Eir mutters as she watches in amusement.

Pepper snorts and watches as the Hulk suddenly drops from the quinjet followed by Captain America. Steve looks hesitant- like he doesn't know what to do- and the Hulk frowns as the robots start to climb him before he flicks of the offending bots. "Ditto."

Twin black ropes drop from the back of the jet, the Black Widow and Hawkeye making their descent to the street to join in on the fight. The team looks almost bored as they fire arrows, bullets, and energy beams at the incoming robots that Pepper and Eir finally laugh and relax.

As Eir's mind wanders back to Steve and what they were speaking about before he left, her attention wanders over to Pepper who's watching the screen intently. Seeing as she's Tony's other half, she'd be as good as any to ask if Tony had anything up his sleeve.

"Hey, Pepper, may I ask you a question?"

Pepper's attention turns from the news to Eir. "Of course. What's on your mind?"

"You see.. well, er," she bites her bottom lip nervously before deciding how to continue on. "Well, I don't mean to over stay my welcome but do you know if Tony has any plans to have Steve permanently move in? Or myself for that matter?" She adds as an afterthought. Even though she had wanted to move in along with Steve as to not be away from him, it's a bit intimidating to be asking Pepper if her boyfriend has any plans to keep them there or let them go back to their own lives.

Instead of hearing  _why_  or  _do you want to move in?_ \- Eir is surprised to hear Pepper bark a laugh. "He's had Steve an entire floor ready to be lived in and even cleared out a floor for you after we opened Christmas gifts." Eir's mouth forms a small 'o' of surprise and Pepper laughs some more at her expression. "Don't worry about it. That's just Tony for you. You don't actually have to move in."

"B-but that's the thing. We do want to move in." And now it's Pepper's turn for her mouth to form an 'o' of shock. "Not in the same room though! At least not yet. Everything's still new to us."

Pepper shakes her head clear for a moment before she smiles at Eir. "Of course not yet," she laughs. "And wow. I- I.. you  _actually_  want to move in here?"

"Well, yeah," Eir shrugs, eyes darting to the TV to make sure the mission hasn't taken a turn for the worse. "I've grown quite attach to everyone as has Mousy. And Steve won't admit it but he likes being around everyone."

"And we like having you three here as well," Pepper admits. "I was actually wondering how much time we had left with everyone under the same roof. Seems like I don't have to wonder anymore."

"Nope. You don't," the witch laughs. "Steve and I were going to tell Tony after the mission and then we were going to go extend our leases on our apartments." At Pepper's look of confusion, Eir explains why they're keeping their apartments. "We're keeping them because as much as we adore you lot, it can get crazy here. The apartments are just an escape should everything become too much but our permanent residence would be here."

"Oh," Pepper mutters. "That's actually.. that's actually not a bad idea."

"Yes, so, do you want to come with?" Eir asks. "I need to go extend my lease, charm my apartment dust-free so it doesn't become a mess when I'm gone, and pick up some paint swatches. Looks like I'll have to paint all over again."

"Can't you just magic the walls to your liking?"

"Mhm. But I need the swatches to see a visualization of the color I want."

"Oh."

"Yes," Eir grins. "So you want to come with? We can pick up lunch on our way back."

"But.. but the mission!" Pepper points at the TV where the Avengers seem to be kicking arse no matter how small and annoying the foe. "Don't you want to make sure they're okay?"

Eir looks at the TV and though it's just an endless stream of robot after robot, Eir shrugs. "They've got it under control and Mousy will stay be behind. She'll watch the coverage and if the fight takes a turn for the worse, she'll apparate in to help them or get them out of there."

Pepper actually takes a moment to think about it but as her attention wavers from the screen, she finally caves. The Avengers really did look a bit bored in their fight and if Mousy was going to be on watch, well then everything should be fine.

..

..

When Steve, Tony, Bruce, Clint, and Natasha return- they return just as the sun is disappearing from the sky. They're obviously exhausted, their suits are ripped and torn is various places, they're a bit bloodied up, and there's bumps and bruises marring their skin.

Mousy is too busy cooking, tittering on her step stool that allows her to reach the stove, that she isn't paying attention to them. Eir is sitting atop the counter a few feet away from the stove- paint swatches in hand with one leg crossed over the other as her legs dangle- and a glass of red wine sitting next to her. Pepper is sitting at the bar, hair loose and barefoot as she goes through her own set of paint swatches with a glass of red wine in front of her as well.

Eir is stuck on the various colors of blue and Pepper is on the reds. There might have been a joke or two about magicking Avenger symbols on the walls in everyone's room which causes them to giggle non-stop for a few minutes which just so happens to be when the the team walks in on them.

When Pepper and Eir notice they're not alone anymore, they finally turn to their intruders only for Pepper to quickly somber up. "What happened?! Why do you all look so beat up?"

"Uh, we were on a mission?" Tony shrugs. "Weren't you watching? You usually watch to make sure everything is going our way."

"I was watching but," Pepper trails off, her attention snapping to Eir and pointing at her. "You! You said you were going to have Mousy watch over them."

"She was, right Mousy?" Eir nods, smiling as Steve suddenly makes his way to her. "The robots got a little bit bigger in size but they had it under control."

"Well thanks for telling me!"

"You would have panicked!"

Pepper's trying her best to scowl but Eir's quirked eyebrow of amusement has her mock anger faltering within seconds. And it also doesn't help that Tony spots the shoes that are on Eir's feet. "Hey! You're wearing the shoes!"

"And necklace," Eir grins, plucking up the dragon's claw and winking at Clint. When Steve gets to her side, she turns her smile to him and leans in for a quick peck. "Hey, Captain, how sore are you?"

"Not much," he admits with a sigh before leaning on the counter next to her. "I'll be healed up in a few hours."

"Well for those of you who want it," Eir turns her attention to the occupants in the room and pointing to the other side of the stove. "There's healing potions for each of you, an energy replenishment so you're not sluggish, and bruise balm for the discoloring. Have at it." Clint's the first to make a be-line for his portion of two potions and balm followed by Tony who nods in 'thanks' at her. Natasha and Bruce slowly make their way over to pick up their own and Eir nudges Steve. "You too, super soldier. You won't heal for hours and these will have you good to go within minutes." Steve opens his mouth to protest but Eir stops him. "And don't give me the excuse that you're super metabolism will just burn it off. It's  _magic._ It won't burn off so easily."

Steve grins at her, her accent slipping through more when she's in bossy mode and nods before picking up his portion. After everyone's downed their potions and makes complaints about the taste, Tony finally notices the paint swatches littering the bar top and the counter space next to Eir.

"What's with the swatches," he gestures to them. Pepper hides a smile by taking a drink of wine and nods to Eir who Tony then turns his attention to. When Steve sees said swatches, it takes a moment for his mind to piece together why Eir would have paint swatches and then his mind falls back to their morning's discussion.

"Well," Eir sighs, peering down at Steve and smirking when he catches her gaze. "If I'm moving in, I'm changing the color of the walls on my floor. There's no way everything's going to remain blinding white." Tony gapes and the second it looks as if he's going to voice something, Eir holds up her hand- palm out. "And don't even say  _what do you mean you're moving in_  because Pepper told me you have two floors cleared out. One for myself and one for Steve."

Tony's gaping mouth turns into a smirk and his attention flies to Steve. With a roll of his eyes, Steve sighs mockingly. "Yes, Stark. It appears the Tower is getting two new permanent residents."

As soon as the words leave his mouth, Tony whoops in cheer.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

By mid-afternoon the following day, Eir has complete control over the kitchen and everyone sans Mousy is avoiding the communal floor for the time being.

When she had first moved to the city, she only had enough potions to keep her on the safe side for a year or so since she hadn't planned on running into trouble but now that she's found herself tangled up with the Avengers, well, her potions were rather on the low side and she needed to remain stocked for herself and her friend's safety. After realizing that they were low not only on potions but on ingredients as well, she had asked Steve if he could get her to the Statue of Liberty and when asked why, she told him that that was where the entrance to the American Magical Community lay.

Steve had gaped, he having forgotten that piece of information when Eir had first told them, and borrowed a vehicle from Tony to take her to her destination. Of course, when they got there, Steve wasn't allowed in because Eir wasn't sure about the laws here in the States but he didn't mind waiting. As Eir disappeared behind a wall of magic, Steve played tourist for nearly an hour as Eir did her shopping. And when they got back to the Tower and Eir had the ingredients lined up on the counters plus the vials she'd be pouring them in, everyone got a look at the newt eyes and spider legs and made excuses to be somewhere else as she started to set up her cauldron.

Eir was stowing away the first batch of healing potions while Mousy cleaned the cauldron when Clint suddenly dropped from the air vent a few feet away. When Eir didn't even gape at his entrance, it let the archer know she was already used to the weirdness of their group.

"Hey, Cap," Clint grins at her, eyeing the dark navy blue shirt Eir wore that displayed Captain America's shield directly on her chest. "Got anything to eat other than what you're brewing?" His nose crinkles at the fumes in the air but he doesn't let it chase him out of the kitchen again.

"Mmm, don't know," she shrugs. "Mousy?"

"Yes, Lady Banning." Mousy squeaks right away, levitating the cauldron to set up once more so Eir could get started on the next potion. Turning her enormous eyes to Clint, Mousy bounced her way over to him. "Would Mr. Barton like a sandwich? Mousy makes the most delicious sandwiches ever."

"Sure, pipsqueak," Clint grins. "But how about I help you? Nat's hungry, too."

"Of course. Of course, sir!" Mousy jumps in excitement. "Right this way."

As Mousy leads the way to the refrigerator, Clint follows to help the elf make lunch for he and his partner. Eir watches in amusement before turning her attention back to her book of potions and looks up the energy replenishment that she wants to make next.

She's in the middle of gathering the necessary ingredients when there's an insistent pecking coming from the glass sliding doors that lead onto the balcony. Mousy continues on with making sandwiches but the pecking sounds draw Eir and Clint's attention.

Sitting on the balcony floor is a medium-sized gray-brown Barred Owl. It's dark eyes dart back and forth between Clint and Eir, Clint being the only one to shiver at the dark eyes gazing at him.

"Do all owls look evil?"

Eir snorts and sets down the ingredients before making her way to the door. "Owls aren't evil, Clint. They're very intelligent creatures so don't offend them or they'll bite."

Clint grunts before helping Mousy with the remaining sandwiches though he watches from the corner of his eye as Eir lets the owl in. It hops over the threshold into the Tower before taking flight and landing on the edge of the counter, sticking it's leg out to Eir. There's a small burnt orange envelope tied to it's leg and as Eir unties it, Clint notices that the bird is eyeing his food. Remembering that owls expect treats for delivering their cargo, he tosses the bird a piece of bread and watches as it gobbles it down.

And the second the owl is free of it's cargo and has taken it's fill of food, it hoots and flaps it's wings happily before taking flight once again and flying out of the building.

"Huh," Eir mutters. "I guess someone doesn't want a reply."

"Who's it from?" Clint asks after licking mayo from his fingers.

"Don't know yet," she tells him, slipping her finger under the flap of the envelope and tearing it open. As she pulls out the piece of parchment, she scans the bottom for a name. "Oh, it's from George," she says with a hint of shock in her voice. "I wonder what he wants."

"Well then read it."

Eir scowls at Clint as he smiles mockingly at her, adding the top piece of bread to several sandwiches as Mousy starts to put the sandwich ingredients back in the refrigerator. Quickly reading through the message, Eir grins before clearing her throat to read it aloud so Clint can hear. After all, it sort of pertains to him and Natasha.

" _Dearest Friend,"_ Eir can't help but snort at George's ease of accepting her.  _"Just thought I should let you know that your request for your merry band of superheroes is going brilliantly! Shouldn't be long until I have a finished product for you- I'm only tweaking recipes I already have but now I need to make sure they're muggle safe. I'm also working on a muggle-safe polyjuice potion that would only be a last resort for them. Hope all is well. I'll get back to you when I've made a break through. Signed- the most handsomest one-eared bloke, George."_

Clint is speechless for the split second it takes for Eir to start laughing. Most handsomest one-eared bloke? That Weasley really was something.

"He actually did it? The crazy son of a," Clint trails off, a sudden grin tilting the corner of his lips upward. "Wow. Nat's going to be so relieved to finally be back on missions."

"Uh huh." Eir pockets the piece of parchment in her pocket. "Speaking of missions- have you talked to the boss man about getting back out in the field? Does he know that we were asking George to make you lot magic tricks?" Clint's expression suddenly turns sheepish and Eir huffs a laugh. "Alright, well, I still have to have that talk with him anyway," she shrugs. "Book me a meeting with him today and I'll tell him all about it and save you the intense stare of Fury. Have the meeting in the usual debriefing room so I can apparate in."

"Done," Clint immediately blurts, stacking sandwiches on a plate before pulling out a phone from his back pocket.

Eir leans against the bar top, snatching up her wand and shoving it in one of her back pockets. Clint's suddenly in Agent mode, having called up Agent Hill and is humming and nodding along with the ongoing call to see when Fury is next available. He tells her that Banning is ready to talk and she has some new information for him that would be useful for himself and Natasha in the future.

There's a brief smirk before it's gone in the next second and then Clint's hanging up the phone. "Fury will be available in ten minutes. Usual room as requested."

"Thank you," Eir nods at him. "I'll go see if Steve wants to join me and you go tell Natasha the good news from George."

"On it." Clint picks up the plates of sandwiches and as he's walking towards the elevator, Mousy is skipping happily behind him while levitating drinks for the assassin duo.

..

..

When Eir and Steve land in the usual debriefing room on the Helicarrier, Fury takes one look at Eir's shirt and cocks an eyebrow at her.

"Told you," Steve murmurs near her ear, unhooking his arm from Eir's before pulling out her chair and then his own.

When Eir had found Steve, he was sitting in the labs watching Tony and Bruce work. She had asked him if he wanted to go with her, Steve agreeing to go but not before whining about her shirt and if she really had to wear that in public. Tony and Bruce laughed- Tony then complaining why she wasn't wearing her Iron Man shirt while Bruce was just glad she didn't have a shirt that portrayed the Other Guy. At least, not that he knew of.

And then Eir had to squash Bruce's hopes by telling him she did- in fact- have a shirt for every Avenger and would wear them when she damn well pleased. She even had a shirt that was being special made, a black tee that read  _Our CEO Is Better Than Yours_ in white lettering and a white silhouette of a female in a pencil skirt and blouse. Beneath that would read  _Stark Industries_ and on the back would read  _Team Potts._ Of course, Tony said Pepper was going to hate it but then added on if she could order him one and they'd wear it on the same day to annoy Pepper.

Before they could come up with any other plans, Steve escorted a laughing Eir from the room and reminded her that she wanted to meet with Fury.

"Keep staring at my shirt like that, Director, and I'll have one special made with your face on it, and flaunt it all over this ship."

Fury doesn't speak, his cocked eyebrow coming down and his lips set in a unimpressed expression. "I dare you."

Eir's sardonic smile is enough to make Fury feel unease but being the spy he is, he doesn't show it, and Steve groans. "You shouldn't have said that. She'll really have one special made, sir."

Eir doesn't lose her smirk as she gets comfortable in her seat. "I really will." But it does falter when she tangles her fingers together atop the metal table and looks Fury square in the eye. "Now I believe you have some questions you've been wanting to ask but that I haven't been up to answering. I'm good now so ask away."

"I have," Fury nods and leans back in his seat not taking his gaze off the witch. "But are you sure you're up to answering? Majority of what I'm going to ask is going to be about  _that_ night."

"I'm well aware. I'm ready to talk."

Steve's hand finds Eir's knee under the table, giving her a reassuring squeeze. Eir slowly breathes out, leaning back in her chair and letting her hands fall into her lap, one of her hands finding Steve's and entwining their fingers together. Fury's gaze falls to their conjoined limbs but he doesn't say anything about it.

Taking this as his opening, Fury leans forward and entwines his own fingers together atop the table. "Why were the Deatheaters in America to begin with?"

"To wreak havoc without consequence," she deadpans. "Everyone knows the American Ministry is a joke- no offense- and America has one thing no other country has."

"And what is that?"

"The Avengers' home," she admits. "They thought it was  _cute_  that Earth had mostly muggle superheroes willing to protect it and they wanted to  _play._ "

Steve goes tense but Eir is immediately using her other hand to rub circles on the back of Steve's hand she's holding. Fury snorts and continues. "So they didn't follow you here?"

"No," she shakes her head. "Hermione's good at what she does, Director. She covered our tracks and it would have taken years for an experienced witch or wizard to uncover it- that or a very talented curse breaker which the deatheaters were never able to recruit. They only discovered I was here when I outed myself protecting Captain America in the middle of the day, and then decided to keep an eye on me when they figured out I was staying at Mr. Stark's tower."

"And out of every hostage they could have taken to torture, why you?"

This time, it's Eir's turn to snort. "Because I was the blood-traitor. I was Nadia's daughter." Fury's eyes fall to Eir's arm but she keeps on going. "She was still livid I killed her husband and betrayed those she expected me to be loyal to. She was just teaching me a lesson." When Fury's eyes keep darting to her arms, Eir grins. "If you're looking for the mark, it's gone."

"I thought it was permanent." He meets her gaze head on.

"Oh, it was," she tells him. "But after a brief breakdown, Thor took me on a quick trip to Asgard. His mum wanted to see me and as it turns out, Asgardian magic is stronger than the magic I'm used to. She fed me a potion that not only took my scar that Nadia left behind but also the dark mark."

"I see."

Fury's expression is grim and it makes Eir sigh. "If you're worried about losing evidence for some reason, remember that I can extract memories. There's nothing to worry about."

"Alright. So what exactly happened when you were taken?"

Eir goes tense this time but after a few seconds, she relaxes. "I was tortured. Obviously," she rolls her eyes. "There was slapping, there was punching, there was kicking, and there was slicing." She gulps, gripping Steve's hand tighter but manages to keep her emotions in check. "They tried various methods of torture and at one point, I think water was involved," she admits to Fury and Steve. "But I was mostly blacked out during my time away. She mostly wanted me to remember my roots. To remember that I was a pure-blood and everyone else was beneath me."

"But you didn't."

"I didn't," Eir agrees with him. "Yes, I am a pure-blood but no, I'm no better than anyone else."

"Is that all?"

"Yes, sir. Your team and my friends found me rather quickly. I owe a lot to the Avengers and my friends."

"No, you don't," Steve fidgets in his chair, angling his body towards Eir. "You're one of us now. We just wanted you home."

Eir's bottom lip trembles and it's when Eir locks gazes with Steve that he sees tears swimming in her eyes but she won't let them fall. She smiles at him before bringing up her hands to wipe at her eyes and gives her attention to Fury once more. "If that's all you have to ask about that night, may I bring up the next topic of discussion?"

Fury nods. "Go ahead."

"Excellent. As you know, since you're obviously the boss around here, Clint and Natasha aren't allowed on solo missions or out in the field because their covers have been blown. What if I were to tell you that you could have your two best assassins back out there?"

"Then I'd say you better tell me what you're thinking before I get bored and dismiss you."

Steve fights off a smile at Eir's mock offended gasp. "My friend has some products in the work. Products that would change the appearance of whoever it's intended for so that they may go back undercover unrecognized. Natasha and Clint both know about this- it was Natasha who requested my friend look into it- and my friend did. I got word earlier today that the products are in their testing phases."

There's a moment of silence where Fury stays expressionless and for that moment, Eir thinks she overstepped a line. But then Fury cracks a brief smirk and all appears to be well. "Will it be safe for them to ingest?"

"At the moment, we're not sure but George is still working on it. He'll let me know when it's ready."

"Good. I won't give the okay for Romanoff and Barton to be back in the field just yet though. We have to have them test it to make sure it doesn't change their abilities when out in the field."

"That's fine. I'm sure that's more than what Clint thought I could get from you."

Fury nods and once again, the room goes quiet. But as always with Fury, not for long. "Is there anything else?"

"No, sir. That's all I needed to say. That and that I'm moving in permanently at Avengers tower. Tony offered me a floor."

Fury eyes her at that before he goes into spy mode all over again. "Good. Now we can get into something else I've been thinking about."

Steve tenses at that, not liking the glint in Fury's eye but Eir just shrugs. "Sure. What's on your mind?"

"I want you to join the Avengers Initiative." And wow, Eir didn't see that coming Steve tenses and leans forward but Eir tugs on his hand and squeezes to let him know that she's fine. "There are some beings out there with magic that we can't fight but you- you have magic all of your own that could aide us in keeping the world safe."

Eir is stunned speechless as she actually takes a moment to think about it. Does she want to join? Does she want to be an Avenger to keep the world a better place? To fight against the forces of evil and show everyone that she's taken this second chance and actually turned her life around?

Hell yes.

But then the internal excitement starts to dwindle and Eir is faced with one major problem. "The Statute of Secrecy. I- I can't," she mumbles as she slumps in her seat. "If word gets out that a wand-wielder is on the team, it'll only lay ground work for others to come out. Others that won't be easily controlled or told what to do."

Fury purses his lips in thought before an idea pops into his head. "What about not using your wand? I've read about wandless and non-verbal magic."

"Sure," Eir frowns. "I already know some non-verbal but wandless will take more than a year to learn."

"A year or so that you'll study both types of magic  _and_ learn to train in combat under Agent Romanoff. We'd still have to get you Agent ready before we let you on any missions. If you're still using your wand by the time we think you're ready, we'll keep you only on missions that won't out you as a wand-wielder."

Eir gapes at him, eyes blinking owlishly as she turns to Steve. He doesn't look happy nor mad so Eir takes that as his okay and when he catches her gaze, he can read the hidden question there.  _Do I say yes?_

Steve briefly grins before giving her a short nod and Eir practically beams. Looking Fury directly in the eye, she gives him her answer. "I'm in."

And now, it's Fury's turn to smile though it's really rather smug. "Miss Banning, welcome to the Avengers."

* * *

****What the hell did I just write? There's only a hand full of chapters left so get ready for some drama-free fun and hopefully** **_fluff._ ** **I'm shit at writing romance so don't expect grand gestures of love or smut because that is one line I won't cross. Haha.** **

****The next chapter will begin with a time-jump. While it's some time in the beginning of January now- the next chapter will be June. We'll start off catching up with what happened during the months I jumped over before settling in the Tower but then the remainder of the story will take place and end in the Wizarding Realm ;)** **


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR'S NOTE: Semi-Important note at the bottom.

 

Life at Avengers Tower was surprisingly.. normal.

Well, as normal as one could get when your boyfriend was Captain America, your best friends were the God of Thunder, a scary yet sexy CEO of Stark Industries, a genius billionaire who had a constant adrenaline rush, the world's best archer, and the deadliest assassin who could drink vodka like water. Not to mention having the Hulk and the World's Greatest Spy along with his second in command willing to do whatever it took to make sure you weren't in danger a phone call away. Yeah, that was normal.

After being drafted for the Avenger's Initiative, Eir had to sign paper after paper in front of Fury and Hill- paperwork that assured she'd never talk anything S.H.I.E.L.D or Avenger related to people who didn't have the clearance. Days after the paperwork was signed- Hermione, George, and Harry revisited with Kingsley in tow so Fury could finally have that chat he wanted with the Minister. With all the Avengers plus Agent Hill, Eir, Hermione, Harry, and George in the same room as Fury and Kingsley, Eir found it hard to keep her laughter in check with certain members of the group. Apparently, George and Tony found it hilarious that Kingsley and Fury could pass as brothers with how stoic and professional they were. Even Clint got in on cracking jokes beneath his breath and Eir found herself, more than once, having to cough to disguise her laughter.

Kingsley had been impressed with his witches and wizards teaming up with the Avengers when they needed to- and since the only high rank muggles that knew of magic's existence was the President- Kingsley thought it would be better if he had a treaty with S.H.I.E.L.D since they dealt with the strange and unusual. Thus ending up with England's Magical Community trading secrets with S.H.I.E.L.D and working together.

When her magical friends finally noticed the lack of the dark mark during their visits, Eir had remembered to tell them of her trip to Asgard. Kingsley was quite shocked to hear of an Asgardian potion that would remove the dark mark as well as scars that were made with dark objects, and Eir hadn't missed the longing look in Hermione's eyes at the mention of the potion removing scars. After Eir had showed Hermione that her  _traitor_ scar was long gone, Hermione had pulled Eir aside and asked if there was any way possible that she could get her hands on some more of the potion. Eir had smiled sadly and said she'd have to have a talk with Thor to see if his Mum could spare some.

Needless to say, a whole week later, Hermione was free of her  _mudblood_ scar. Everyone had been so thankful- including Ron- and also surprised to learn she no longer bore the dark mark.

As both Steve and Eir got settled in at Avengers Tower in their new apartments, Eir soon found herself being rudely awakened by Clint who had dropped into her room from an air vent where she and Steve were asleep.

He had told her it was time to start her training and while he thought dropping into her room and watching her flail was funny, he learned his lesson and found out first hand that stinging hexes were nothing to laugh about. Especially when said hex was aimed a little too close to his inner thighs.

In between combat training and meditating- which helped keep her focused for learning wandless magic- Eir helped Tony  _up_ the security at the Tower. Tony immediately did away with identification badge swipes in favor of palm and retina scans. On top of that, Eir added a ward around the entire building- the ward being similar to that she had around the block of her old apartment building. The ward would alert her to any other magic user passing through it- and another ward that would alert her to anyone with malicious intent entering the building.

And when Fury got word of Eir's magic coming into play to alert her to other magic users, Eir was brought aboard the Helicarrier once again to work her stuff on the so-called ship. If magic users could gain access to the Tower, there was no telling who and what could gain access to the Helicarrier.

* * *

January bled into February and everything was going quite well. Eir managed to keep a tight schedule of combat training as well as meditation with Bruce before practicing wandless magic. Natasha and Clint traded off every other day to keep Eir on her toes and teach her new techniques with Steve keeping watch.

Eir had thought that with her new schedule there'd be no time for Steve and it would hurt their still new relationship, but she had surprisingly been wrong. He supported her in everything she did and when they did manage to have time together, they were like two teenagers sneaking in kisses and trying to hide the fact that they slept in the same bed every night. Of course, Tony viewed the security footage for his own viewing pleasure and caught them sneaking off. There was constant teasing but Eir wouldn't have had it any other way.

With March, Eir managed to get back in regular contact with her friends.

Hermione kept in touch via journal, Draco- after ranting and raving that Eir was never allowed to get kidnapped while he was still under house arrest- kept in contact via owl, and George traded messages back and forth via patronus.

April brought an impromptu visit from George- the wizard bringing with him the potions that would grant Natasha and Clint a chance to get back in the field, and a wedding invitation for Hermione and Ron's upcoming wedding in June.

Eir had ignored the potions for a moment- a moment in which she grilled George why she was only learning about the wedding. The wizard had shrugged with a laugh, telling her that the engagement was kept under wraps because of their status in the wizarding community but that she and every Avenger plus their significant other was invited. The wedding was going to be held on Weasley land- just as Bill and Fleur's wedding had been- and that Molly expected them to stay at the Burrow for their time there.

Eir had easily agreed while saying she'd have to check which of the other's would be attending with her and whether or not Fury would let the members have some free time.

After getting that out of the way, Eir gathered the potions George had brought with him and sought out the two assassins to tell them the good news. The potions were made to change only the voice, skin color, hair color, eye color, and add slight facial changes so they wouldn't be recognized. The only thing that would remain the same would be their body figure so it would not interfere with their combat skills and throw them off their game.

George had even brought them muggle safe polyjuice potions to use a last resort and when Director Fury had been showed all of it, he had Natasha and Clint run through a mock-mission to make sure the potions didn't interfere with their skills. When it didn't, George had suggested to take the polyjuice- Clint would turn into George and Natasha would be Eir- so they weren't shocked should they ever need to use that specific potion. And needless to say, the assassin duo prayed they never needed the polyjuice potion. It was very uncomfortable.

May brought in more training- though this time it was with Steve seeing as Natasha and Clint were put back on their own missions when the Avengers weren't needed. Thor was in Asgard most of his time- only ever dropping in once or twice out of the month to visit his friends and his lady love before he had to return home to prepare for future King.

Pepper was traveling all over the world, keeping schedule with her meetings for Stark Industries and making deals with whatever Tony recommended would benefit Stark Industries in the upcoming future.

Bruce and Tony spent most of their time in the labs- Bruce working on a type of material that would stretch to accommodate himself when he hulked out and then go back to normal without tearing when he was back to being Bruce. And Tony, well Tony was adamant about building Eir her own suit for when she learned wandless magic. Eir didn't want it- even told Tony numerous time she didn't want it- but if he wanted to make her something then she wouldn't mind a mask to keep her identity a secret when she was finally sent on missions with them.

When Eir found time to tell everyone about Hermione's wedding, Steve immediately agreed to escort her while Tony jumped at the chance to see the Wizarding realm. He had Pepper on the phone seconds later after finding out the wedding date and told his girlfriend to take a week off because they were going to England for a wedding and to spend time with Eir's witchy friends. Bruce, of course, politely reclined. While he was comfortable around these new witches and wizards, he didn't think the other guy would be comfortable in a community of nothing but magic.

Eir completely understood and then all there was left was to get Fury to approve it. He did but only after Eir promised to leave behind a way of getting in contact with them should he suddenly need the team assembled since technology would more than likely fail them. And her way of getting in contact was- surprisingly- a galleon.

A galleon that- after handing one to Bruce, Fury, and Hill- would heat up the other galleons that Eir, Steve, Tony, and Pepper would be carrying on them at all times to alert them they were needed. All Fury, Bruce, and Hill had to do was squeeze the galleon in hand and think of the danger they would possibly be in, and the message would magically appear on all the other galleons.

Fury approved the way of communication, giving them the week Tony and Eir requested to spend in England. When asked about Natasha and Clint, Fury told them their missions would more than likely take place during the wedding so those two wouldn't be allowed to go.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

**A week before the wedding**

Steve and Eir are smirking at one another- beaded sweat sliding down either side of Steve's head while Eir's body practically glows with sweat all over her available skin- as they circle each other on the mat. While Steve opted for his usual sweat pants and a tee; Eir donned a black sports bra, black workout capris, and a pair of sneakers.

Bruce is sitting off to the side, glasses tucked safely in his pocket as he watches the duo take each other down. For at least an hour now, they've been at it and Bruce hasn't been more amused in his life.

"Come on, Gramps. Don't hold back."

Steve narrows his eyes at Eir, taking the challenge he's been thrown but it's hard to remain looking like a threat when Bruce can be heard smothering his laughter somewhere off in the distance. They don't know what prompted Doctor Banner to head to the gym or prompted him to watch them train but neither of them are complaining since this is the most they've heard Bruce laugh.

"You're going to regret that."

"Oh, I highly doubt it."

The duo circling each other come to a stop, Eir knowing that this is where one of them strikes but before Steve can think about it, her eyes dart down to his sneaker-clad feet. When Eir's smirk suddenly turns rather wolfish, Steve decides that that's enough and decides to lunge.

Only.. his feet don't budge.

With a look of shock taking over his features, Steve thrusts his hands out in front of him to catch himself from falling face first. As he crouches there on all fours and throwing bewildering looks to his feet that seem glued to the mat, Eir bursts into laughter.

"Stickfast hex," she beams proudly. "With just the right amount of concentration, wandless magic is quite extraordinary."

"Totally unfair," Steve huffs at her, pushing himself to stand straight as he ignores Bruce's chuckling. "This is combat training not magic training."

"Yes, well, my enemies won't know what hit them when I come out of nowhere and knock them on their arses without even touching them."

"You're still a cheat," a new voice- Tony's- enters the conversation. "This is meant to be hand-to-hand."

Eir loses her concentration to turn towards Tony and Pepper who just entered the gym, and it's in that moment that Steve realizes her lost concentration means that her magic isn't holding. With his feet suddenly able to move, Steve drops down in a crouch and swipes one leg out to completely take Eir off guard. Landing on her side with an  _oomph!,_ Eir rolls onto her back and glares up at Steve as he falls to his knees to straddle and pin her.

Both are panting harshly, Steve now smirking down at her as Eir mentally plans her revenge. "Rule number one; never let your guard down."

Tony suddenly applauds, face split into a wide grin. "That's my boy."

Eir scowls when Steve starts to chuckle. Feeling like he's won, Steve lets up on pinning Eir's shoulders down but remains straddling her hips though he's supporting his own weight. When Steve starts to ask what they're doing down in the gym, Eir meets Pepper's gaze and smirks.

With a wink thrown to the CEO, Eir suddenly bucks her hips up to meet Steve's, said man spluttering mid-question and blushing ridiculously red. When Steve's wide eyes meet Eir's mischievous ones, he doesn't have a chance to ask what the hell she's doing before an invisible force knocks him dead center in his chest and tosses him on his back.

Eir is quick to scramble to her feet, eyes roaming over his body before he realizes he can't move, and Eir crouches at his side. "Rule number two; never underestimate a woman."

Tony cackles with glee at his friend's misfortune, Bruce doesn't bother smothering his laughter, and Pepper grins proudly. "Atta girl."

Eir stands to her full height, winking down at her boyfriend before sauntering towards Pepper who throws her a towel to wipe off her sweat. "Heya, Pep. What brings you down here," she asks as her eyes drink in the casual wear her friend is wearing- a flimsy dark blue tank top, white shorts, and thong sandals.

"The jet leaves in an hour, Eir, or did you forget about our trip for Hermione's wedding?"

"Blimey," Eir groans, quickly dabbing her skin dry before peering over her shoulder and muttering beneath her breath. Seconds later, Steve is free to finally get up. "I forgot that was today!"

"Yes, well, now you only have-" Tony glances down at his phone in hand. "-fifty eight minutes to shower and get all your suitcases stowed away."

"You say that as if I am a mere muggle, Mr. Stark," she smirks at him. "Steve and I have been packed for days, and Mousy is just waiting for the word to have all our belongings transported to the jet. Steve and I don't take that long of a shower."

"Whatever. Just hurry up," Tony huffs playfully.

By the time Steve is there to drape an arm around Eir's shoulders and gets caught up on the conversation he missed, Steve is quick to mutter something that sounds suspiciously like a curse word before pecking Eir on the forehead and running for the showers.

Eir watches him flee with a grin and Tony whistles lowly. "You are slowly corrupting him. I approve."

Chest shaking with laughter, Eir meets Tony's gaze. "Tony, Tony, Tony." She tuts with a devious smirk gracing her features. "Mr. Rogers had been corrupted long before I came along. He just needed someone to make him feel comfortable with the new changes."

Now it's Pepper's turn to shake with silent laughter and when the words finally click in Tony's mind, Eir is practically skipping to the showers. "Wait, what?! Are you telling me Capiscle wasn't a-" a quick jab to his ribs from Pepper's elbow cuts him off. "Ow! What the hell, Pepper?! I need to know!"

"No, you don't. That's their business," she tries not to smile at him but it doesn't quite work out.

Pulling her frowning boyfriend off towards Doctor Banner, the three sit and wait for Steve and Eir to finish their showers before the four of them begin their trip.

..

..

By the time Steve, Eir, Pepper, and Tony are boarding the jet- the sun is setting.

Beforehand, though, Eir had made sure to make it known that Bruce was to keep his galleon on him at all times as well as Director Fury and Agent Hill. She made Bruce give it a test run- having Bruce squeeze his own galleon while thinking up a mock-threat- and everyone was quite pleased to see the way the galleon worked.

Of course, Mousy had to pop away directly to Director Fury and make sure he knew it was a false alarm, but none of them feared for the tiny elf seeing as Fury was actually fond of the tiny creature. To this day, no-one knows how Mousy wrapped Fury around her spindly fingers but none of them question it. The only reason they knew of said affection was because they caught Mousy sneaking the man treacle tarts and said tarts always vanished within the day. If they had Mousy there to soften the blow of Fury's wrath should they mess up in the future, well then they couldn't exactly complain.

As the foursome are buckling up, Eir can't help but ogle the inside of the jet. She'd never been on a personal jet- the only similar thing she'd been on was a plane when Hermione helped her move and she hadn't liked it one bit. There was too much crowding on the mode of transportation and not everyone respected the term  _personal space._

But this- being on Tony Stark's jet- was a complete different thing. There was leather chairs and couches, plush carpet, mahogany tables, and even a stewardess who appeared with a platter of sparkling champagne flutes.

When the engines finally start and the jet slowly creeps down the lane, Eir startles. Steve catches it right away, he being a good boyfriend and not calling her out on it as he reaches towards her and rubs soothing circles on her back. But Tony- well to him- she's fair game.

"Is the all powerful, broom riding witch afraid of a jet ride?"

"C-can you b-blame me," Eir stutters, trembling hands clinging to her flute. "I'm a sheltered pure-blooded witch who's only used to being hundreds of feet in the air," she tells him. "You're now taking me  _thousands_ of feet in the air so excuse me for being nervous, you mad man."

"Mad?" Tony's brows furrow in confusion. "I'm not ma-"

"She means crazy, love," Pepper chuckles as she sips her own drink. "Now shush and let Eir tell us once again what we can expect when meeting the rest of the Weasley family and where we will be staying."

Eir briefly smiles, taking a sip of her drink now as Steve smiles gratefully at Pepper for changing the subject. "T-the Weasley's are a b-bit overwhelming," Eir manages to say through her nervousness. "At least, when they're all together that is." She now grins fondly. "The place where we'll be staying- the Burrow- well, it won't exactly meet your standards."

"Meet our standards? What do you mean by that?"

"Well," Eir gulps, looking directly at Tony to answer him. "Seeing as you come from money and where we currently live- the Burrow is  _nothing_ like the Tower or any mansion. The Burrow is a home that looks as if a strong wind could blow it over but fear not!" She raises her hand to cut off Tony who looks seconds away from requesting somewhere else to stay. "From the couple of visits I've been granted there, the Burrow is  _homey._ It's held together by magic and though it won't look like it's capable of living in- it's  _something,_ " she chuckles. "You'll just have to see it to understand. Don't write it off right away and actually stay one night before you decide to find other arrangements. I promise you won't be let down."

"There's no need to worry," Steve assures her. Unbuckling himself now that the jet is in the air and Eir has been distracted enough, he scoots over to sit by her side. "Where you stay, I stay. I'm sure I'll love it."

Eir sighs in obvious relief and Tony suddenly pipes up. "As long as we don't all have to sleep in separate rooms, I should be good."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Eir waves him off. "If Ginny is allowed to live with Harry without being engaged, I'm sure Mrs. Weasley will let us sleep with our other halves."

"Excellent," Tony raises his champagne flute as if to toast. "Then get very comfortable, kiddo. We have a long ride ahead of us."

The second she's reminded of how high they're either already at or about to get, Eir scowls and tucks herself into Steve's side, flipping Tony off as he laughs at her fear of heights.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

It's mid-afternoon the following day that the jet lands and Tony is hurriedly shooing them off into a black Cadillac- Eir magicking the trunk to hold all their suitcases. The only person who has any idea where they are going is Eir and against his better judgment, Tony lets her drive.

Only Eir's driving lasts about five minutes since Tony gets fed up with the constant braking and Pepper's howling laughter that he pushes Eir into the passenger seat and drives them wherever Eir points him to.

The scenery is not what they expected and everyone takes the time drink in the rolling hills and the tall green and yellow grass swaying in the wind. The winding road journey is about an hour before Eir points Tony down what appears to be a private dirt path. It's quite bumpy, tall grass on either side of the dirt road and there's even a swampy marsh but no-one makes a comment on it.

At the end of said road, there's a dilapidated looking house that shouldn't be standing.

"Uh, where are we again," Tony asks as he tries not to verbally spew what he's currently thinking about where they are staying.

"We call this place the Burrow," Eir happily answers him. "We're in a small magical village just outside Ottery St. Catchpole. There are about four other magical families that live nearby but you won't see public magic here since muggles have access to this village though they don't know it's magical."

"I see," Tony hums.

The car finally comes to a stop and the house looks even worse than it did before. Windows seem to be falling off the hinges, windows appear broken, the lawn looks in dire need of a mow, and the knee-high wooden fence hangs limply in some place.

Turning around to face Pepper and Steve, Eir laughs outright at their obvious distaste. "Don't worry. Magic makes it look like that," she tells them. "After you pass the wards, it'll look better."

"Wards? What wards? You didn't say anything about wards." Steve's brows furrow in confusion.

Eir shrugs. "It's just a security measure, Steve. During Christmas vacation of my sixth year at Hogwarts, Voldemort ordered an attack ere. They set the Burrow ablaze and the Weasley's had to rebuild. So now, no-one can get past the fence without being escorted by a Weasley."

"Smart," Tony comments before quickly opening his door and getting out- not bothering to wait for the others to follow. "So what happens if you try get pass without a Weasley escort."

"Why don't you try and find out," Eir flashes him a rather devious smirk and Tony takes a step  _back._ "If you manage to pass the first ward, you'll get boils all over your body." Tony, Steve, and Pepper all grimace at the mental image. "Get passed the second ward and your blood will start to boil." And cue the wide eyes. "And the third ward, well the second you come in contact with the third, you'll get knocked so far back on your arse you'd wish you hadn't attempted it in the first place."

"Noted." Tony and Steve breath in awe. Steve turns to Eir and can't help but smile at the smile she's giving the Burrow. "Remind me to never piss off a Weasley."

"Aw, come on, Captain. We're not that bad," a new voice- George- joins in.

George suddenly appears, the wards having made him invisible until he was outside of them, and from behind George comes a beaming Ginny. There's another man with them- a redhead who's hair is held together in a ponytail with a leather strap, a fang dangling from one ear, and some gnarly scars marring his face- and a little girl with strawberry blonde hair in a plait hanging onto one of his hands.

George, right away, goes up to Tony and Steve to shake hands while Ginny makes a be-line for Eir and Pepper. While the man and little girl hang back- they still offer polite smiles and nods.

"Right," George drawls when a slightly awkward silence falls over them. "This is my older brother Bill and his daughter Victoire. Bill, Vicky.. this is Tony Stark and his lovely girlfriend Ms. Potts. Then you remember Eir and that's her boy toy Steve Rogers!"

Tony muffles his laughter as Eir and Steve both glare at George, and Pepper hides her own smile before she breaks the tension and moves forward to shake Bill and Victoire's hands. Once everyone's been introduced, George gestures towards the Burrow. "Come on, then. Mum's went crazy with the baking. We're starved but she wouldn't let us eat 'til you lot showed up."

George immediately hooks his arm with Eir's, flashing her a friendly grin as he leads her through the wards. Ginny grabs onto Steve and Bill grabs Pepper. As Tony peers down at Victoire's curious gaze, he narrows his eyes suspiciously at her.

"If you're anything like you're Uncle, I'm not grabbing your hand."

Victoire's gaze suddenly lights up, a mischievous grin tilting up the corner of her lips. "Come along,  _Monsieur Stark,_ " the french lilt of her voice catches him off guard for a second and she quickly latches on to the hem of his shirt. "You're going to have a lot of fun here."

* * *

**Like stated in the above note, this is the semi-important note: I like updating every 2-3 days but today marks the first day of my town's annual Strawberry Festival. Our town- which is about 6,000- skyrockets to over a 100,000 and with so many people being in town, it jams our cell towers and makes our internet connection slower than a snail. That being said, the next update for this fic won't be until Monday when the Festival is over and everyone finally leaves. Sorry for the wait but yeah.. it's the Festival.**

**Fingers crossed I don't end up drunk and stumble into a cop XD**


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Click [HERE](http://www.polyvore.com/second_chance_chapter_25/set?id=118596348) for a chapter set.

 

Once asked- Pepper, Tony, and Steve would admit that passing through the security wards was a bit uncomfortable. The first ward was odd- a tingling sensation starting from the roots of their hair and trickling down all the way to the tips of their toes. The second ward had them feeling a bit warm under the collar and then the third had them feeling like they were drenched in cool water though they remained dry as can be.

Once the wards were behind them, they were shocked to see what a difference magic could make.

The yard was actually trimmed, the little broken and falling apart fence was now painted and stretched tight around the yard. The house seemed to be in better condition- the windows and door hanging perfectly fine on their hinges- though it still looked like a strong wind could blow the entire thing over.

Upon entering the Burrow- Steve, Tony, and Pepper couldn't believe that they underestimated Eir and her description of the Weasley's home. Yes, from an outside point of view, it looks seconds away from falling apart but on the inside, it's a completely different story. Every piece of furniture is made from wood- the fabric and cushions very worn yet telling guests that the place was very well lived in.

There were two sofa chairs, a couch, and a coffee table all situated in front of and around a humongous fireplace- no television in sight. There was an odd-looking grandfather clock that appeared to have spoons as it hands but they didn't study it since they'd get a better look at it later. There was a set of rickety looking stairs that led up to the six levels of the home and a swinging door that led to another room they had yet to see.

Once George announced their arrival, the door swung open and out poured three more people. Harry, a short plump woman with wild red curls, and a man of average height- his stomach slightly round and a receding hairline of red hair.

"Eir, dear, I'm so glad you could make it!" The plump woman greets her cheerfully, stepping forward and pulling Eir into a heartwarming hug. "And days early as well. I'm looking forward to having you and your friends with us," she says, her gaze then darting to Tony, Pepper, and Steve so she knew they were welcomed.

"It's good to see you, too, Mrs. Weasley," Eir laughs, pulling out of the hug and letting Molly be a mother and smooth out her clothing while turning her gaze to Arthur. "Hullo, Mr. Weasley. Thank you for having us in your home."

" _Thank you_  for coming," Mr. Weasley quickly replies. "We know that Percy is still a bit uncomfortable with you so we're glad you decided to shove that aside and join us in our home." Eir grins weakly at Mr. Weasley before his attention is suddenly on the other three newcomers. "And are these your muggle friends? It's always a pleasure to meet a muggle," he beams, rushing forward and giving a good strong hand shake to Tony, Steve, and Pepper- all three muggles trying their hardest to keep their amusement hidden.

"Molly, Arthur- I'd like you to meet Tony and his better half Pepper," Eir introduces them and this time it's Molly who greets them, though instead of a handshake, she pulls them down into motherly hugs. Eir chuckles at their shock before stepping up beside Steve and wrapping an arm around his waist, his arm coming around to drape around her shoulders. "And this here is Steve. My better half."

If Tony and Pepper were shocked with Molly hugging them warmly, then they're even more shocked when Molly practically squeals in delight and shoves Eir away from Steve so she could get her arms around him. Steve is a blushing and stuttering mess, and his friends/new found friends aren't helping the matter as they stand back and laugh.

"I-It's great to m-meet you, too, ma'am."

"Oh, hush, you." Molly swats at his chest, eyes twinkling with happiness. "Call me Molly. All of you," she says as she turns to address Tony and Pepper now. "-can call me Molly."

"And I'm Arthur," Mr. Weasley steps up beside his wife. "Welcome.. welcome."

"Thank you," Pepper immediately blurts, her cheeks hurting from smiling so much. "Thank you for having us. Eir's become such a great friend and family member to us that we were excited to come and meet everyone else. We've heard quite a lot about you all."

"Yes, for example, I've heard that Mrs. We- Molly-" Tony quickly amends when Molly's hands settle on her hips and she narrows her gaze on him. "I've heard that Molly bakes a mean treacle tart. You wouldn't have any now, would you?"

"Tony!" Pepper and Eir simultaneously shout, earning giggles from Victoire and snickers from the other adults.

"What," he feigns innocence. "At least I asked and just didn't charge into their kitchen."

Molly smiles before bursting into giggles and grabbing Tony by his arm to hook her arm through his. "Come along, dear. Lunch is ready when you are and you can have some treacle tart for dessert."

Tony smugly smirks at his girlfriend before letting the older witch guide him as everyone follows behind.

In the kitchen, the table and benches looked to be carved straight from a tree and not store bought. Pots and pans are washing themselves in a sudsy filled sink, and there's yet another humongous fireplace in the kitchen.

There's a layout of sandwiches and drinks on the table, and once everyone's taken their seat, Molly magically has all their plates fill themselves. Tony, and surprisingly Steve, waste no time in digging in their sandwiches as everyone else makes small talk.

They learn that Charlie is still on the Dragon Preserve in Romania and will only get to fly down the day before the wedding, and that Percy and his fiancee should be by when the wedding gets closer. Hermione and Ron are set to show up later that night, and Harry and Ginny will be staying at the Burrow so Eir, Steve, Tony, and Pepper don't feel too out of place with people they only met that day.

When dessert finally comes out, Tony doesn't bother to hide his moan of appreciation and asks if there's a way to become an honorary Weasley. He'll never be able to go another day without someone constantly making treacle tart since Eir doesn't allow Mousy to make it every other day anymore.

As they're mock arguing about whether Tony is Weasley material, Steve catches little Victoire slipping what appears to be a pill tablet in Tony's drink that dissolves almost instantaneously. For a moment, she thinks she's busted but all Steve does is wink at her and continue to listen in on the bantering.

The next time Tony sips his drink, no-one can complain he can't be a Weasley because he's now sporting Weasley red hair.

**.:HP/AVNGS:.**

Eir had been right when telling Tony that they'd get to bunk with their significant others. As George and Bill helped Tony and Steve collect their luggage from the car, Ginny led Pepper to the room she'd be sharing with Tony and Eir to the room she'd be sharing with Steve. Luckily for them, they were on the same level while Harry and Ginny were one floor above them and the parents two floors below.

After lunch they had and been shown to their rooms, and then the Weasley's were quick to show the newcomers around the property. Pepper and Steve were quick to fall in love with the small pond settled right next to a beautiful pink Weeping Willow tree and a stone bench sitting beneath it's limbs. Molly pointed out that Ron and Hermione were to be wed beneath the tree and the reception would be held beneath a tent some yards away.

Steve noticed that Eir became quite giddy as they neared some of the tallest trees he's ever seen. The trees standing together created a rather thick barrier and as they got closer, little Victoire took off in a sprint through them.

As it turned out, there was a hidden orchard within the trees, the trees surrounding it since the orchard doubled as a Quidditch pitch.

They then spent a majority of the day and evening watching Harry, Ginny, Eir, and George take to the sky. Bill stood off to the side and watched Victoire as she flew around a couple feet off the ground on her own children's broom until Tony asked if she wanted to go high. When asked by Bill how he was going to make that happened, Tony giddily touched the black bracelet on his wrist that no-one had given a second glance at. His Iron Man armor came slowly but surely- as to not ruin anything in the Weasley home- and applied itself around his body. Once the face mask slid shut over his face, Victoire's jaw was practically on the ground. Molly, Arthur, and Bill laughed joyfully at Victoire's expression- and after making sure Tony was careful- Bill let Victoire go with him.

Not having known Tony had a soft spot for children- Pepper and Steve watched in awe as Tony picked up the little girl and flew up into the sky with her Aunt, Uncles, and Eir.

Hermione had shown up not that long after- though she turned up alone- but no-one questioned Ron's whereabouts. As Tony and Victoire took Eir's spot playing Quidditch in the sky, Eir landed next to Steve and the two of them went to go catch up with Hermione.

The group had slept peacefully that night, Pepper and Tony quite grateful for the cushioning charms placed on their shared bed. Steve and Eir slept quite comfortably, the duo long used to sleeping in the same bed and snuggling before they drifted off into their own dreams.

..

..

When Steve and Eir awake the following day, it's to rambunctious laughter coming from downstairs. The duo look confused about their surroundings for a moment but when they catch each other's gaze, they start laughing. There's a good morning peck- more like three- before clothes are gathered and Eir shows Steve to the shower that Ginny had showed her the night before. Once Steve is locked away behind the door, Eir nearly sprints up one level to where another- hopefully empty- shower awaits her.

When they're finished with their showers, both laugh at the fact that they ended up in plaid long sleeve shirts though their sleeves are pushed up to their elbows. While Eir is wearing white, maroon, and red plaid- Steve wears a dark yellow, blue, and brown plaid shirt. Eir opted for a pair of white shorts with a brown belt and Steve opted for dark wash jeans.

Walking downstairs hand-in-hand, Steve and Eir find Tony, Pepper, Harry, Ginny, Molly, and Arthur sitting around the kitchen table. Tony's sitting in his Iron Man suit sans the helmet with Arthur and Pepper on either side of him while Harry and Ginny sit across the table from them as Molly bustles about the kitchen and readying two plates of food.

"Really, Stark, is the suit really necessary?" Steve asks as he and Eir take a seat at the table.

"Not at all," Tony replies, eyes never leaving what appears to be a Stark tablet in his hands. "But Arthur was really curious so," he trails off with a shrug before music rings out of the tablet and Tony scoots closer to Arthur. "Ah, look here. This game is called  _Angry Birds_  and the sole purpose of the game is to smash the green little pigs! Here, look."

Everyone watches in various stages of amusement as Tony plays the game for Arthur to see and the wizard's reaction to it. "Marvelous! Muggle technology is absolutely marvelous!"

"Oh, old friend, you haven't seen anything yet."

As Molly passes a plate each to Steve and Eir, the couple thank her profusely for it. As the two eat, Eir notices the little glances that Mrs. Weasley keeps giving her- well, her arm more specifically- but turns away seconds later.

Eir pushes the little glances to the back of her mind and settles for voicing her curiosity on how Tony is able to use his tablet in the Burrow. "Hey, Tony?" She calls out, taking a sip of her juice before meeting his gaze. "I know you made your suit magic- resistant but how is your tablet working and not going crazy?"

"Magic friendly," Tony smirks at her. "I made a box full of them magic friendly so your friends can use them. It's a whole lot easier than you and Hermione writing in that journal of yours. Now you can video chat with the Weasley's when you're back in Manhattan." Eir actually gapes at her friend and Tony is glad with the reaction he got. "You know what, I'll go get them now so I can show my friend Arthur how to work it."

As Tony makes a move to stand, Pepper's gaze follows him. "Make sure to change out of your suit as well. And don't get lost!"

"Pft. Please," Tony rolls his eyes. "I live in a tower that has over 90 floors. What makes you think I'll get lost in a home that only has eight?"

"I don't know, mate." Harry picks up his mug of tea for a drink. "Perhaps getting lost on the way to the shower this morning?"

Steve and Eir both snort in amusement, eyes twinkling with mirth as Tony splutters to cover up his mishap. "I- That- that doesn't count! I was disorientated."

"Mhm. Sure you were," Harry teases him as he sips his drink.

"That's a violation of the bro code!" Tony scowls at him. "I'll make sure to show Ginny how to use the tablet and not you."

Harry shrugs with a grin. "S'fine with me. I grew up with muggles. Technology isn't all that new to me."

"I hate you!"

"You love me. Now go before Pepper drags you upstairs to change."

Everyone is quite amused at Harry and Tony's bantering and even more so when Tony stomps out of the kitchen.

Eir and Steve eat their breakfast quietly as others are served a plate of seconds or- in Arthur's case- reading the morning paper. It doesn't take long for Tony to come back downstairs in jeans and a band tee with a small box in hand. When Arthur catches sight of him, he eagerly perks up and Tony is quick to pick out a tablet and hand it to the Wizard. The brilliant smile lighting up Arthur's features is enough to make everyone in the room nod approvingly at Tony and what he's done.

Walking up to Molly, Tony has her sit down and plops a tablet in her hands as well but instead of smiling, Molly is rather confused with the technology she holds. Ginny gets a tablet, as well as Eir and Steve whose tablets get set down beside their plates before Tony finally takes a seat.

When Tony sees Harry's put out expression, he quickly explains. "Couples get a tablet each with the exception of Mom and Dad and the Avengers. Sorry,  _mate._ "

Ginny giggles at Harry's mock pout and hands the tablet to him, and Tony sets aside the box with the remaining tablets. "Here. You learn and explain it to me later. You're more knowledgeable in muggle objects anyway," Ginny says before she pecks Harry's pout away.

As Steve and Eir quickly finish their food, Tony explains to Arthur while Pepper explains to Molly the video chat feature. Names of the Weasley clan and Avenger clan have already been programmed into each tablet and since Arthur and Molly are sitting on opposite ends of the table, Tony tells Arthur to click on Molly's name.

When Molly's tablet starts to chime, she looks up at Pepper expectantly and Pepper shows her how to answer the call. When she does, her face breaks out into a brilliant smile when she sees her husband's face on her screen and her own in a tiny box at the bottom of the screen.

Harry is listening to Tony's instructions and quickly works out how to use the tablet while showing Ginny moments later.

Tony and Pepper are explaining the other features that Tony programmed into each tablet when the tablet next to Eir suddenly chimes. Everyone turns to her when she just stares down at the screen- the tablet signaling she has a text message from an unknown number.

"Uh, Tony," she gulps. "Do these tablets double as a phone, too?"

"They can if you want," he shrugs. "Ours are programmed to redirect any calls and text messages if we're away from our phones. Why?"

"Because it's telling me I have a text message?"

"Oh. From who?"

"Don't know. It's unknown." The room goes quiet as every pair of eyes swivel to Eir and her still chiming tablet.

"Well open it," Tony sighs exasperatedly. "It's not going to bite. It's not that psychotic book of yours."

Harry, Ginny, and Eir snort in amusement- the three of them knowing exactly what book it is that Tony's talking about. They don't like to admit it but they've all been victim to nearly being mauled by the Book of Monsters.

Quickly wiping her hands clean, Eir taps at her tablet and opens up the message. After a beat of silence, she snorts and bites back a laugh as she looks up. "It's Natasha from wherever it is Fury sent her and Clint," she explains. "Clint remembered just where it was we were at now and subtly told Tasha to tell me that he's run out of Sugar Quills and Firewhiskey. She asked that if I took some back to the Tower, she'd teach me how to take him down in under a minute when we spar."

Steve chuckles as Eir quickly figures out how to reply after realizing the tablet is just like a large touch screen phone.

Eir and Natasha share a few messages back and forth, and it's during this time that Steve takes a moment to ask Tony just how it is that this family is to use his tablets when they run out of battery. Tony looks hurt that Steve would ask  _him_ such a question, and when Steve merely shrugs, Tony rolls his eyes and stands only to pull out thin black pads. He explains the pads are new Stark products- the pads being the chargers for the tablets with unlimited energy.

Tony then takes the time to show Harry how to charge the tablets- the tablets only having to be laid atop the pad to charge when he shows the rest of the tablets in a box to the wizard. He tells him to make sure they get passed out to Ron and Hermione, Percy, Charlie, George, and Bill and Fleur. And that if there's anyone else they want a tablet for, all they need to do is ask and he'll have more made.

It's when everyone is messing with their tablets that the fireplace in the kitchen roars to life, green flames erupting high in the humongous fireplace and out steps an older woman with a child holding onto her hand. The woman has soft brown curls tumbling down to the middle of her back with a hint of silver giving away the woman's elderly age. She has an aristocratic aura around her- her features being quite angular though she has kind eyes and an easy going smile.

The boy, however, is what catches everyone's attention. He appears to be around six or seven and has a head of vibrant blue hair. He's lanky for a kid his age though his face is round and full with amber eyes twinkling happily at the room's occupants.

"Papa Harry!" The boys squeals, shooting off towards Harry and wrapping him in a hug.

Harry returns the embrace and Steve leans in to Eir to whisper by her ear. "Harry has a child? Why didn't we know of this."

Eir hides her smile behind her tablet and she turns to Steve. "Because he's Teddy's Godfather. Teddy was born right before the war and his parents left to fight. They both died but not before naming Harry the Godfather."

"Oh."

The woman greets the Weasley's before turning to Eir and offering her a polite smile. "Eir Banning. You look to be doing well."

"As well as I can be," Eir answers, standing up to embrace the witch in a welcoming hug. "These are my friends," she gestures to each of them. "Andromeda, this is my boyfriend Steve Rogers. Steve, meet Andromeda Tonks."

Steve immediately stands, shaking the woman's hands. "Ma'am. Pleasure to meet you."

"Manners." Andromeda quirks an amused eyebrow. "Not something you see in this day and age," she grins at him. "Pleasure's all mine, Mr. Rogers."

Steve blushes under the woman's gaze and Eir quickly saves him. "And sitting by Arthur is Tony Stark along with his lovely girlfriend Virginia Potts."

"Please, call me Pepper." The CEO quickly stands to properly greet the elderly witch.

"Andromeda," she easily replies back.

The witch's gaze slides to Tony who smirks at her before standing up to reach for her hand and places a kiss upon the back of her hand. "Lovely to meet you."

"Likewise." Andromeda answers, lips twitching in amusement. As she turns to face the rest of the kitchen's occupants, she catches Teddy's gaze. "That little cutie pie is Theodore but he prefers Teddy," she introduces him since she knows he won't do it on his own. "He's my grandson. Teddy, say hi."

"Hi," a meek voice sounds from Harry's lap, the boy's hair turning from blue to red in his embarrassment of having all eyes on him.

There's a chorus of  _hellos_ being directed at Teddy and shocked stares before Molly asks if Bill is still taking Teddy for the night. Andromeda assures her that he is when Harry suddenly groans out loud.

"It's tonight!" He nearly face palms. "I'm so sorry, Andromeda, I forgot all about it. I can't make it tonight. The aurors are having some type of mandatory meeting." Teddy frowns upon hearing the news and even though half the room is left wondering just what it is Harry forgot, he turns to Eir. "Eir's an animagus, too, though. I'm sure she wouldn't mind, would you? You be running along the beach at Shell Cottage," he says as he turns a pleading look towards Eir.

Before Andromeda can protest, Eir shrugs. "Sure. We have nothing else planned for the night and the beach is beautiful around this time of year. But what exactly do you need an animagus for?"

Against their better judgment- Harry, Andromeda, Ginny, Molly, and Arthur's gaze all slide over to Teddy who shrinks under the stares, his hair turning an even brighter shade of red. "It's the full moon." Is all Andromeda says and Eir's eyes widen in understanding.

"We'll be there."

Tony looks seconds away from asking what they mean but Eir gives a quick shake of her head and avoids his gaze all together. "What does she turn into?" The shy and quiet voice of Teddy sounds. "I won't hurt her, will I?"

"Of course you won't," Harry is quick to assure him. "And as for what Eir turns into, well, you'll just have to wait and see." He smiles down at Teddy, ruffling his hair which then turns into the same shade of black as Harry's.

Pepper, Tony, and Steve all watch in amazement as the boys features shift to match that of Harry's as Molly serves the boy a plate of food.

"Okay." Tony finally blurts, his curiosity getting the better of him. "I won't ask about the full moon but I do have to ask about the hair color and facial shifts." Pepper kicks his shin under the table but it doesn't stop him. "I mean, I didn't see him eat any candy."

Harry and Ginny smile at Tony's need to know everything but it's Andromeda who answers. "It's because he's an metamorphmagus," she smiles fondly at Teddy. "He's able to shift his features at will but since he's young, he doesn't have control over it yet and the hair color changes along with his mood. He mostly takes after his Mum, my late daughter."

"Oh. I'm- I'm sor-"

"It's fine," Andromeda cuts him off with a wave. "It's much easier to talk about now."

Silence falls upon the group and feeling the need to change the subject, Tony holds up the tablet towards Andromeda. He tells her what he's done for everyone and the programs the tablet comes with so everyone can keep in touch before offering if she wants one.

After finding out what exactly it does, Andromeda takes Tony up on the offer and he tells her that he'll have one made her for and delivered. She claps happily, tells them that the magical community needs to update their ways of communication because an old bat like her will soon have trouble crouching down in her fireplace to make a floo call.

..

..

Eir and the others spend time with Arthur and Molly until Hermione and George show up. The two younger witch and wizard take the four of them into the sitting area when asked how they're liking the Burrow so far.

Everyone absolutely adores it- especially Eir and Pepper- and can't wait to explore some more. When George and Hermione find out that Eir is to keep Teddy company at Shell Cottage for the full moon, George offers to take them after the sun has set. Tony finally cracks and asks just what the big deal is when Hermione admits to him that Teddy took up after his father as well. Though he doesn't fully transform like his werewolf father did, Teddy does transform somewhat halfway and has werewolf tendencies.

Steve, Tony, and Pepper are shocked at the information but Eir assures them that it will be fine.

When the sun finally sets, George takes them flooing over one by one to Shell Cottage and right away, Pepper is in love with the place.

Fleur is making dinner when they get there and Bill shows the group outside to fill them in on just what to expect from Teddy when the moon hits its peak.

They make small talk over dinner just as Harry shows up to drop off Teddy- the small boy immediately running off to find Victoire- while Tony asks Eir if it's possible for her to hide a piece of property like Shell Cottage is hidden. When Eir tells him yes- and Bill supplies that he could help out too because he's a Curse Breaker- Pepper's eyes light up and asks Tony if he's thinking of purchasing property alongside a beach.

He shrugs with a smug smile and Pepper happily- and noisily- kisses him on the lips.

"You know, Bill," Eir smiles around her glass of pumpkin juice. "-if I can convince Director Fury to purchase safe houses all around the world for his Agents, I'm sure he'd take you on as a consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D. We can cast the fidelius charm on every piece of property and only give out the location when needed."

"C-consultant?" Bill mutters around a mouthful of food earning a glare from Fleur. He quickly swallows and takes a drink from his glass as Tony hides his snickers of amusement. "I- I don't know, Eir," he mumbles. "I'm quite happy working with Gringott's."

"It's fine," she grins at him. "But if you ever change your mind and want to see all that S.H.I.E.L.D can offer, just get in contact with George. He's a consultant for them." George immediately chokes on his food, Steve having to pat the wizard on the back as Fleur and Bill turn wide eyes to their brother/brother-in-law.

"D-don't tell Mum!" George blurts. "Blimey, she'll murder me."

"Exactly," Bill grins while Fleur giggles. "So you work for a secret agency, huh? What do you do?"

"I supply them with potions," George admits to him with a scowl. "Hawkeye and the Black Widow's identities had been blown so they couldn't do solo mission anymore. I supply them with potions that change their features so no-one knows who they are out in public."

Bill's eyes widen. "You know them? All of them?! Blimey," he sighs, looking awestruck and Steve tries to hide his sudden unease. Only a handful of them know Captain America's true identity and were sworn to never tell. So far- since no-one had gave Steve a second glance when talking about the Avengers- well, he guessed they kept their word.

"Right," George agrees with a laugh, catching Steve's gaze and winking.

Steve splutters in his butterbeer, Eir having to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing as she pats his back.

..

..

By the time the moon is high in the sky, the group knows it's time for  _something_ to happen when Victoire rushes downstairs with Teddy at her heels. He's panting rather harshly, looking a bit pained and as Fleur takes Victoire in her lap, Bill leads Teddy towards the kitchen and out the door.

Steve is quick to ask if it's safe for Bill to be with Teddy when he sort-of turns, and Fleur answers  _yes._ At his look of doubt, Fleur quickly explains the scars on her husband's face that everyone had been curious about but didn't want to ask. When they find out that Bill's attack left him with the hunger and energy of a werewolf, they don't question it anymore.

When the whines and groans of Teddy reach their ears, everyone crowds into the kitchen to peer out the door and windows. Fleur assures them that the Cottage and majority of the beach is warded for Teddy so he doesn't wander into muggle territory and risk being seen or enter the cottage when he's shifted and harm any of them.

They watch in amazement as the lanky boy shifts before their eyes. His once round face seems thinner and angular, there's a ridge between his brows that seems wider and bumpier, and his ears have a point to them. When he appears to catch their scent, his eyes dart to the Cottage and it's occupants and there's a gasp from Pepper when she sees his amber eyes glowing in the dark. Bill looks towards them, too, his own eyes glowing but he isn't growling at them like Teddy appears to be doing. When a small snarl escapes Teddy's mouth, they aren't that surprised to see tiny fangs.

"Oi, Eir. Looks like you're up," George grins.

Victoire, Tony, and Pepper don't take their eyes off the once innocent little boy but Steve does. Even though Teddy is a little boy, he's still a werewolf. He frowns at Eir down by his side and doesn't move away when she reaches for his hand. With a quick squeeze to his hand, Eir brings up his hand to her lips and presses a kiss to Steve's knuckles.

"I'll be fine. You'll see."

George and Fleur avert their eyes back to outside when they see Steve gently catch Eir's chin in his fingers and angle her head upward. Leaning down, he brushes a kiss to the corner of her lips. "You better," he murmurs.

Eir nods and takes a step back, keeping her gaze locked on with Steve as she wills herself to shift into her animagus form of a white wolf. Steve chuckles at the transformation, he himself still not able to wrap his mind around how her clothes melt into her skin and then the skin sprouts fur and everything else.

Teddy's still growling outside and it's only when Eir gives an answering growl back does Fleur and Victoire look back. Victoire giggles at seeing the white wolf and immediately bounces over to her, Eir letting the little girl pet her and tug at her ears. A deeper growl pierces the air and as everyone looks back outside, they see Bill staring intently at the wolf.

"Go," Fleur smiles, telling Eir and petting the wolf as she trots closer to the door. "Even though Bill isn't as much of a werewolf as Teddy, a small part of him is telling him there may be a threat inside with his mate and cub. He just needs to familiarize himself with your form is all."

The wolf's head bobs in understanding and trots outside the safety of the wards. Once there, Bill crouches and Eir walks right up to him and bumps his shoulder with her head. The male 'werewolf' laughs, pulling gently at Eir's ears before pushing her face to look at Teddy.

The little boy is looking at her curiously, eyes glinting dangerously in the dark before his own wolf realizes that this white wolf is friendly. Teddy's lips pull up into a grin as he bounds towards Eir and kneels, hugging the white wolf around the neck and rubbing his face in her fur.

After both males familiarize themselves with the white wolf, Teddy yips playfully and Eir's tail immediately starts to wag excitedly. Sitting back on her haunches, Eir throws her head back and howls- Teddy following suit as Bill just laughs at them.

Seconds later, Eir breaks off into a run with Teddy and Bill chasing her tail.

Inside the Cottage, everyone watches with a smile as the three run along the beach but never venturing into the water.

Before it gets too late, Fleur takes Victoire up for a bath and then to bed. When she returns downstairs, she catches Pepper fighting off a yawn and assures the three muggles that it would probably be best for them to get some sleep. With Teddy not being able to turn back until the sun rises, Eir will be occupied all night.

Tony and Pepper stay up for a few more hours before calling it a night and George takes them back to the Burrow. Steve, on the other hand, had asked if it were okay to stay because he didn't want to leave Eir. When Fleur offers him a room upstairs, he declines the room and asks if it were okay to just linger about the kitchen. He didn't think he'd be able to sleep without Eir next to him and Fleur understood where the man was coming from so she let him stay as he wished.

Instead of going to bed herself, Fleur keeps Steve company through the night with stories of her time at Beaubaxton's and just how it was that she met Bill.

By the time the sun had risen and the duo got up to step foot outside, Bill was a few feet in front of them with a sleeping Teddy in his arms- the werewolf features long gone. Eir was walking up behind them, stumbling tiredly and Steve immediately pulled her to him.

"You look like hell," he smothers a laugh in her hair.

"I feel like it," she yawns back. "And you don't look all that better," she peers up at him with a knowing look. "Come on, Bill offered us a room here. Let's go catch some sleep."

* * *

**I am terribly sorry for any mistakes. I tried fixing up as much as I could find but babysitting three toddlers and a nine-month old really made me rush through this.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Click [HERE](http://www.polyvore.com/second_chance_chapter_26/set?id=118858885) for a new chapter set :)  
> Also, I have no idea how to write a French accent so the italics and misspelled words are Fleur's accent. Sorry!

Eir doesn't know how long she's been asleep but a constant knocking on the bedroom door has her groggily blinking her eyes open and slipping out of Steve's too warm embrace only to stumble towards the noise. After fumbling with the door knob, the tired witch manages to open the door and pat her hair down into something more presentable.

Fleur is standing just outside the door, grinning fondly as Eir tries to keep her eyes open. " _Beel_ has been called into work," the French beauty murmurs softly. " _'ermione iz_  at the Burrow and Molly  _haz_ made lunch for  _uz._ "

"Oh. Okay," Eir rubs at her right eye. "Um, what time is it?"

" _Juzt_ after one," Fleur smiles. "There  _iz_ energy  _potionz downztariz_ for you and  _Zteve."_

"Thank you, Fleur. I'll just wake up Steve and be downstairs in a bit so we can floo on over."

Again, Fleur smiles politely and leaves Eir to wake up her boyfriend as she heads downstairs.

As soon as the door is shut, Eir leans back against it and watches Steve for a moment. She smiles tiredly at how relaxed he appears to be for falling asleep in the Wizarding World.

Being an Avenger, it's not easy to let one's guard down but for some reason, Steve seems to be at peace here. He turns on his side, sighing contently before she spots his hand groping the empty side of the bed. His brows furrow in sleep and Eir can't help but chuckle as he- honest to Merlin- whimpers. Deciding to take pity on him, and to hurry up since Fleur is waiting downstairs, Eir tip-toes over to her side of the bed and crawls back into bed.

"Steve," she murmurs, crawling on her knees to settle at his sides. When he doesn't acknowledge her, Eir runs her index finger from the bridge of his nose to the tip of his nose. "Steve, wake up. We need to head back to the Burrow."

Steve groans, his hand looking for some part of Eir to grab onto. When he realizes he can't wrap his arm around anything, he cracks open his eyes and groans again before slamming his eyes shut. Eir merely grins at his behavior- poking at his side- until he scoots down enough to curl his body around her and rest his head atop her thighs. "It feels like I just feel asleep. What do you want?"

"Fleur's heading to the Burrow. We need to go along since no-one else is here."

"Where's Bill? Or Teddy," he asks as he tries to fight off a yawn.

"Bill's at work and Teddy is what.. six years old? I doubt they'd leave a child to watch over us even if he were here, love."

"I like it when you call me love," Steve admits, voice heavy with sleep and Eir can't help but snort.

"I'm gonna start calling you  _babe_ if you don't get your arse up, Captain." Eir swats at his arm. "Now hurry up! There's a potion waiting for us downstairs so we're not tired and Molly has lunch waiting for us."

At the mention of lunch, Steve's eyes snap open. "Yeah, okay. I'm up. I'm up." He yawns loud and long, stretching like a feline in bed before pushing himself up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Who's all going to be at the Burrow," he asks as he finds his shoes and slips them on.

Eir shrugs, pushing her feet into her own shoes and smoothing out her clothes as best she can. "Tony, Pepper, Molly, Arthur, Hermione, and Fleur. I'm not sure about anyone else."

The couple quickly make themselves presentable, Eir forgoing magic all together as she and Steve stumble downstairs with matching easy going grins. Fleur chuckles at their rumpled clothing and bed hair but merely passes them each a vial of white shimmering potion.

"For more energy. You'll be wide awake in  _zeconds._ "

"Thank you, Fleur."

"Yes. Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Steve says as he accepts his potion gratefully.

" _Pleaze, it'z_ Fleur," she grins at him. " _Mrz. Weazley ez_ Molly."

Eir and Steve both chuckle, the two of them downing their potion in one swift gulp. "Okay then. Thank you, Fleur."

"You are  _mozt_ welcome,  _Zteve._ "

The moment Steve and Eir get their boost of energy, Fleur leads them over to the fireplace and hands Eir the floo powder since she was to link arms with Steve and floo alongside him. They ended up flooing to  _the Burrow_ rather quickly and stepped out inside the sitting area.

Molly was there as was Hermione, Ginny, and Pepper- bags of clothing hanging from a rack in front of the three ladies, and folders upon folders sitting on the coffee table.

"Uh, what's going on?" Eir asks as she and Steve step out of the way just as Fleur floo'd through.

"Oh, Eir," Hermione smiles brightly as she was the only one who hadn't looked up from the binder in her lap until now. "Pepper decided to grace us with her fashion advice since the wedding attire is all muggle."

"Has she now," Eir grins as Fleur immediately stalks to take a seat and brings a folder in her lap, waving off Molly and telling the elder witch she has already had lunch. "Where the others?"

"George is manning the shop, and Harry and Ron are doing Merlin knows what," Ginny says with a roll of her eyes.

"And Tony is outside looking at a flying car with Arthur." Pepper practically beams before turning her gaze to Steve. "If you want, you can hang with the boys while us girls do wedding preparations in here."

Steve is unsure, wanting to spend more time with Eir in her own environment but all the looks he's receiving from the female lot in the room are giving him expecting smiles. Just as he's about to cave, Eir swoops in and saves the day. "Oh, uh, well Steve and I were going to explore today." She gives them her most apologetic smile she can muster up and squeezes herself tighter to Steve's side. "I was going to take him to Diagon Alley to purchase a few things I need."

"Oh, well, okay.." Hermione is seconds away from frowning but Eir is quick to assure her.

"I'm really sorry, 'Mione, but I'm crap at planning," she frowns. "But I promise you, Pepper is brilliant with her fashion advice. She won't steer you wrong."

Pepper preens under the praise and Hermione sighs but smiles. "You really are terrible at planning," she finally grins. "Don't think for a second I forgot about the party you tried to organize in the Forbidden Forest our Fourth Year."

Eir squawks as Molly turns a motherly glare on her and Ginny smothers her laughter behind a folder. "I- I have no idea what you're speaking of!" And yeah, no-one believes her for a second. Not even Steve who's shaking with suppressed laughter.

"Sure you don't," Hermione smirks victoriously. "Just like you didn't know it was highly offensive to the Centaurs to stomp all through the Forest without permission."

Eir narrows her eyes in a split second of rage. "Those barmy fools think they're so privileged."

"Language!"

Eir's eyes widen at Molly's reprimanding tone and shrinks in on herself. "Sorry, Molly."

Snickers sound all around the room, the loudest coming from beside her and as a form of revenge, Eir pinches Steve's hip until he gasps in pain. Steve glares down at Eir only to have her feign innocence when the snickers turn into full blown laughter. Even Molly can't hide her smile when she sees Eir and Steve interacting with one another.

"There's chicken pot pie under a warming charm sitting on the table," Molly tells them. "Go get cleaned up before you eat and leave for Diagon Alley."

"Yes ma'am," Steve and Eir sound in unison, the two hip checking each other as they head for the stairs.

The two hurriedly climb the steps, Eir leading the way as their audience watch them with matching grins and smiles.

"He's really good for her, isn't he?" Ginny hums happily.

"You have no idea," Pepper laughs as she mulls over the red-head's words. "Actually, I think they're both good for each other." When every pair of eyes swivel to her, Pepper grins. "Before Eir, Steve was a bit of a recluse himself. He spent a couple of years on the road to sight see but when he came back, he was either at home or at the Tower. He didn't do much and never really liked to party but after meeting Eir, he was always smiling and laughing and joking with everyone. She's exactly what he needed."

"Just like he was what she needed," Hermione agrees. "I'm so happy they found one another."

There are many shared nods around the room before Hermione sighs happily and looks back down at the binder in her lap. "Now.. back to my dress detailing," she grumbles while pointing out parts of the picture to Pepper. "Do you think this would look better without straps? I'm feeling rather bold."

Pepper smiles deviously and immediately gets to work, pulling out her own personal Stark tablet and working out details on there.

..

..

Steve and Eir find their room easily at the Burrow, hurriedly picking out clothes to go take their separate showers. It was- by no means- a competition on who could shower faster but if Steve managed to finish first and get to their shared room first, well then no-one had to know he did a mental victory dance.

Steve was dressed in a charcoal gray long sleeve henley, the top three buttons left unbuttoned. Even though he had his trusty khaki pants put away in the dresser, he opted for a pair of stretch skinny jeans that Clint made him buy. They weren't too loose to where he felt like an idiot but they weren't too tight to where he felt uncomfortable. He never thought he'd ever entertain the idea that Barton had good taste in jeans but apparently, he just did.

Steve was just pulling the bottoms of his jeans over the tops of his black camper combat boots when the bedroom door opens.

Eir slips in, padding barefoot across the room only to freeze when Steve straightens up and stands. Her eyes go wide before they rake up and down his form, the tips of Steve's ears burning red at her scrutinizing gaze.

"W-what?"

"Nothing," Eir gulps, her eyes lingering over his upper form. "I-It's just.. that shirt," She slowly grins. "It really..  _clings._  In all the right places." Her voice takes on a husky tone and Steve's cheeks are starting to tint pink.

"I c-can change," he stammers out. "It does feel a bit tig-"

"No!" Eir immediately cuts him off. "You look fine. Great, actually," she smiles. "Don't change."

Steve nervously chuckles and slowly retakes his seat on the bed as Eir maneuvers about the room.

Her hair had already been dried when she walked in through the door, her hair pinned up in a presentable messy bun and bangs covering her forehead. A black frill singlet clings to her upper torso while yellow and black plaid cuff off shorts reveal long toned legs. She makes quick work of donning a clear amethyst necklace with a blackened silver necklace along with a leather and chain wrap bracelet on her left wrist and a wand holster clinging to her right forearm.

It's only when she slips on her super-studded cut-out peep toe platform heels and stands to her full height while slipping her wand in it's holster does Steve slightly gape at her. Now it's Eir's turn to blush.

"What?"

"Nothing," he shakes his head. "It's just.. you look great. Amazing, really."

Eir just laughs at Steve's ogling, striding forward without tripping and pulling him down into a heated kiss. Steve's caught off guard, of course, but the moment he feels a swipe of Eir's tongue at his bottom lip, he's all in.

Strong arms come down to encircle Eir's waist, hugging her tightly to his front side as Eir hands him over the reigns of the kiss. But as soon as it started, it ends with Eir panting lightly and kiss swollen lips.

"Come now. We have a long day ahead of us."

..

..

The chicken pot pie was very delicious, Steve going for seconds seeing as he wolfed down his first bowl. Cold lemonade topped off their lunch, as well as a brief discussion on whether or not Hermione needed bridesmaids when Eir went to ask Molly for the floo powder. As it turns out, Hermione didn't want bridesmaids. She just wanted to walk down a small aisle and get the wedding over as soon as possible so everyone could eat and listen to great music afterward. And when put into perspective like Hermione put it, everyone soon agreed that that was the way to go.

Eir ends up finding the floo powder in a flower pot sitting on the mantle and after quickly tearing herself away from any further wedding discussion, she grabs onto Steve's arm and floos them to the Leaky Cauldron.

They stumble out into a dark and shabby pub with Steve coughing from some soot that he accidentally breathed in. As Eir giggles at his misfortune and lets him get himself under control, Steve takes a moment to look around. The pub is dimly lit, the flickering flames of several candles being the only source of light. There are several tables littered around the establishment, the only ones occupied by witches and wizards being those that are hidden in the shadows.

A throat being cleared catches both their attention, the suspect being what appears to be a middle-aged man with tufts of salt and pepper hair surrounding a bald spot atop his head standing behind the bar. He's cleaning a glass with a dirtied rag by hand while a broom sweeps the floor behind him by itself.

"Miss Banning," he greets aloud causing some murmuring to start from within the shadows.

Steve's gaze immediately darts down to Eir, brows furrowing when he sees she's clenching her jaw. "Tom," she nods in acknowledgment before making her way towards the bar.

Tom meets Steve's gaze and smiles politely but says nothing to him. Instead, he turns back to Eir. "What can I get for you?"

Eir's nose slightly scrunches and shakes her head. "We were just passing through," she tells him. "We need to do a bit of shopping in Diagon Alley."

"Ah, I see," he finally flashes a shaky grin at her. "Well, you know the way." He gestures to a door near the back of the bar and Eir nods.

Just as she dragging Steve along with her to the door, she halts in her steps. "Actually, Tom," she quickly turns back towards the bartender. "Do you sell whole bottles of Firewhiskey here?"

Tom's eyes widen but he nods nonetheless. "Y-yes, ma'am. It's just no-one usually buys the whole bottle here because it's so expensive."

"Oh. Well, I've got to make a stop at Gringrott's and do some shopping but when we leave, we'll be passing through here. Can I get three bottles of Firewhiskey for when we come back, please?"

"S-sure thing."

Eir smiles tightly at him at him before reaching for Steve's hand and heading towards a lone door. Once there, Eir opens it up and the both of them step through only to come to a stop in a small enclosed courtyard and a lone large trash bin.

There's a brick wall directly opposite the door and Eir walks right up to it.

"What was that back there?" Steve finally asks, noticing the way Eir seems a bit tense after her talk with the bartender.

Eir huffs, releasing her wand from it's holster. "Not everyone is as forgiving as Hermione, Harry, and the Weasley's," she mumbles and then snorts. "Which is rich seeing as my presence makes him uncomfortable and he runs an establishment that usually tends to the sketchy variety."

Steve says nothing and instead takes the moment to wrap an arm around her shoulders, resting his head against hers since she's nearly as tall as him in her heels, and watches as she taps several bricks in an anti-clockwise rotation. As she re-holsters her wand, Steve watches in awe as the bricks rattle in place before folding in on themselves and making a large archway which supposedly leads into Diagon Alley.

There are numerous people bustling about, the alley being a cobbled street which is lined with a variety of shops. Towards the end of the alley, there's a towering white marbled multi-story building that when he wracks his brain for every piece of information he's read on the Wizarding World, he figures out it's Gringott's Wizarding Bank.

"Mouth shut, love," Eir teases Steve when she catches him with his jaw slightly agape. "You don't want to catch wrackspurts."

"Wrack- what?"

"Nothing," she laughs. "Come on, we need to stop by the bank first."

Steve frowns in confusion which only causes Eir to laugh harder as she snakes her arm behind his waist to hug him to her side. With a gleeful smile, Eir leads them into the alley and towards their destination of the bank.

The shops on either side of them come in all sizes and odd structures, some shops newer than others. In the small gaps between the shops and restaurants, various stalls and peddlers are stationed there selling either flowers, roasted goodies, or jewelry.

The age span of the witches and wizards range from the elderly enjoying their day to children running around, and Steve finds it odd that he's not finding the cloaks, robes, and pointed hats weird at all.

They make it through the alley fairly easy and there are a couple of shops that have already caught Steve's attention- the ice cream parlour, a bookshop, and two different animal shops- one of which sells strictly owls while the other sells a mixture of cats, toads, and bats.

A set of white concrete stairs are soon in front of them, Steve and Eir climbing the stairs to a set of burnished bronze doors. The doors are guarded by two wizards in scarlet and gold uniforms, odd gold car antenna like probes in their hands.

"They're probity probes," Eir tells him when she catches him eyeing the sticks as the guards move towards them and Eir separates herself from his side. "They detect concealment spells or hidden magical objects."

Eir spreads her arms wide as the security guard waves the probe up and down in front of her body, Eir being mindful to make sure her wand was on display. Copying Eir's movements, Steve holds his arms out. "Oh. So, like a metal detector then. Only magical."

The guard checking Steve laughs. "Exactly. You a muggle born," he asks when Steve's check is complete.

"Uh, muggle, actually." Steve gulps, afraid that they would turn him away. Instead, both guards laugh.

"Good luck," they sound in unison.

When Steve's confused stare moves down to a smiling Eir, she shrugs innocently. "The goblins tend to be a bit.. terrifying to newcomers. Merlin, they still terrify me and I've been coming here since I was a child."

Steve groans while the guards chuckle some more before moving back to their positions but not before opening the doors to allow them entrance. Inside, there's a small entrance hall with yet another set of doors and a warning about stealing but Eir pays it no mind and enters through the second set of doors with ease.

Inside these doors though, instead of being flanked by guards, they're being flanked by what Steve guesses are goblins. The knee-height creatures are wrinkly with pointed ears, small professional uniforms adorning their bodies, and black beady eyes glaring intently up at them. Steve takes a couple of more steps forward with Eir, just enough to get a glimpse of the vast elegant and dimly lit bank. The black and white marble floor is lined on either side with long counters stretching along it's length, doors stationed every few feet leading to God-Knows-Where.

The further they walk, the more the goblins stop counting their money to stare at them. Being under their gaze makes Steve stumble and stop, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "You know what, I think I'll just go wait outside."

Eir peers up at him, catching his unease clearly etched into his features and chokes down her laughter. "Sure. I'll be a while," she tells him. "The vaults are underground and I'll have to take a cart down there. Wait for me on the steps?"

"Mhm. Yeah," Steve blurts, already retracing his steps back to the doors. "Outside."

Eir laughs at his retreat, watching as he makes sure to stay directly in the middle as to not be too close to either goblin at the doors, and exits in a hurry with his head angled down.

The moment Steve is fully outside the bank and the guards take one look at him, the two guards cackle like hyenas while Steve blushes and laughs nervously. "Yeah. I'll just wait out here for her."

The guards say nothing more as Steve walks off to the side, climbing down a few steps before taking a seat on a step out of anyone's way should they head into the bank. Once seated, he takes a deep breath and watches the hustle and bustle of the magical community below him.

Everyone seems easy going, people smiling at one another and Steve just can't picture a war happening in this community. They all seem cordial, waving at one another from a ways away or laughing among each other as they shop. There's not a cloud in the sky yet a small breeze keeps him cool under the intimidating sun.

As he peers to his left, he realizes the alley is split into two sections though this new portion of the alley is shorter and seems a bit darker and less cheery. Deciding he rather likes the smiles and laughter, Steve people watches and finds it odd that he feels comfortable in the Wizarding Realm.

Every one of his instincts should be screaming at him that this  _isn't real_ but.. it is. Magic is real and instead of having an religion crisis because this  _shouldn't be possible-_ at least according to what he was taught to believe- he accepts it. He accepts it because it's Eir's world- Eir's life- and if he's going to be a part of said life, he has to wrap his mind around the fact that the world he knew isn't what it seems.

He doesn't know how long he's sitting there but when he feels a hand on his shoulder, Steve peers up Eir who now appears to be fiddling with the thin strap of a leather pouch hanging from her shoulder. "Ready to go," she smiles at him.

"Yes," he sighs, standing up only to realize that his butt is slightly numb. Huh, she really was gone for a while then. "Where to first?"

"I'm not sure," Eir shrugs, reaching for Steve's hand and tangling their fingers together. "Was there a shop that caught your eye? We can stop there first and pick up what we need before we leave."

"The, uh, the book shop," Steve admits. "But it seems crowded so maybe some other day for that shop."

"Agreed." Eir hums happily, practically skipping down the steps. "Anywhere else?"

"Well, there was an ice cream parlour.."

"Yes!" She immediately cuts him off, smile from ear to ear. "You need to try the ice cream," she says. "It's  _magical._ "

The way she says magical has Steve wondering if she means ridiculously delicious or if it's actually magical and he should be worried.

..

..

Fifteen minutes later, Eir and Steve are stumbling out of the ice cream parlour with plastic bowls of ice cream. While Eir opted for her favorite of blue-green fairy dust, Steve was glad to find out they carried normal ice cream flavors and opted for a mix of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.

"Do you want to tell me the reason for your sudden giddiness and that cashier's sudden bought of giggles when you received your bowl?" Steve asks as he dips into his own icy treat, savoring the flavor of chocolate on his tongue.

Eir slips in another spoonful of ice cream, grinning widely before popping out her spoon. She takes a moment to run her tongue along the roof of her mouth with the icy treat sliding around and coating the insides of her cheeks as well. "Like I said. It's  _magical,_ " she beams before opening her mouth wide, her tongue hanging out as if saying  _aahhh._ And sure enough, the inside of her mouth is a glittering mess of turquoise- hence the name fairy dust.

Steve just laughs at her as they continue their walk along Diagon Alley. They come across a stall- one who's selling jewelry- when a certain knotted leather bracelet with a  _wolf_ etched into one side of a smooth metal disk catches Steve's attention. By now, they've done wolfed down their ice cream and tossed the bowls in a bin, and Steve picks up the bracelet while showing it to Eir with amusement clearly sparkling in his eyes.

Eir huffs a laugh, asking the merchant how much for the bracelet when Steve immediately sets it down and tells her it was joke- he was just showing her because of her  _other_ self. She ignores him, of course, and pays the merchant a little more than what she was asking for the bracelet before slipping and tying it around a reluctant Steve's wrist.

"There. Tony will find great amusement in this."

"He's going to be unbearable," Steve grumbles. "Are you sure you want me to wear this?"

"Of course I do! It's yours to remind you of your brilliant girlfriend," Eir grins.

After telling the merchant it really wasn't a big deal about the price Eir paid for the bracelet, and the three offered pleasantries between each other, Eir and Steve continue on with their trip. They stop by Sugarplum's Sweets Shop to pick up the sugar quills for Clint and a variety of Natasha's favorites as well as Steve's, and then make a quick stop by Rosa Lee Teabag. Steve mentioned that Bruce would love to try new teas as well as Pepper so Eir made sure to buy at least half the shop's flavors.

They pass by Weasley's Wizard Wheezes just as George is setting up a new display in his shop's window as he waves excitedly at them. Eir still can't believe just how much George and she gets along- the witch still sometimes shocked that he would still talk to her after everything they've been through when they were younger.

Eir had wanted to go inside to show Steve the shop but the amount of people crowded inside didn't sit well with her and Steve obviously picked up on it. "Next time?"

"Next time," she gulps. "I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He drapes an arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to him to press a kiss at her temple. "It's going to take time getting used to being around other witches and wizards again. You're doing well with just being here already so there's no need to push yourself any further."

Eir angles her face upward at him, grinning fondly. "Have I told you lately how amazing you are?"

Lips twitching in amusement, Steve shakes his head. "No but I have a feeling that's what you're thinking right about now."

Eir laughs, pressing her own kiss beneath his jaw before looking back at George through his shop's window and mouthing  _some other time._ His smile falters but nods in understanding.

They continue on with their walk, Steve's free arm draped over Eir's shoulder as he uses his other hand to carry the day's purchases. One of Eir's arms snake behind his waist while the other hand comes up to hold onto Steve's hand by her shoulder. They talk and laugh as they walk, Steve doing his best to distract Eir from a few people he's noticed who are nearly glaring at her. Eir doesn't notice them and Steve is grateful for it.

With the crowd on the constant move, Eir and Steve press to the side to avoid running into other people. As they stand to wait for some space to move freely, a clicking sound from up above catches Steve's attention. Peering up, he finds a bat hanging upside from a sign declaring the store  _Magical Menagerie._ The bat is using some tiny hooks- or is it hands?- at the end of it's wings to pull itself up before moving to another position.

"Huh," he huffs. "I've never seen a bat this up close and personal before."

Eir's eyes light up, her grip on Steve tightening in her excitement. "Ooh, let's head in," she tells him.

Not able to resist her, Steve nods and heads for the door. Pushing it open, he and Eir are able to enter without having to let go of one another. The large bay windows in front of the shop as well as a sky light in the roof allow excellent lighting to see the animals inside. There's not many people so Eir feels at ease as she maneuvers them around the establishment.

Majority of the bats are not caged, the owner letting the creatures hang out near the ceiling from metal rods that run from wall to wall. To the left side, there's a wall of glass displays with a variety of toads hanging out in each cubicle and to the right is where all the cats and kittens are lazing about, tails flicking in boredom as they watch the customers warily.

The back wall is reserved for the cashier's counter with a variety of treats littering the shelf behind said counter, and a few bins of treats for every animal sit at either ends of the counter as well. Steve and Eir start at the side with the toads, the both of them smiling at a brother/sister duo- the little brother teasing his sister as she whines about  _ickiness._

The man behind the counter smiles at the two of them as they pass, Steve ducking as a bat swoops down. Majority of the cats seem uninterested in their possible owners and lay about in the cages or in the kitten's case- a large square table with plexiglass railing so people could pick them up.

There are five adult cats, each and everyone of them uninterested at Eir's and Steve's curious gazes and smiles. The gray Siberian cat with even darker marker markings along his body seems the only cat to be somewhat interested, meowing as Steve and Eir peek into his cage. The cat already has a name and had they been looking to actually buy a cat,  _Ghost_  would have been their choice. But even at that, they'd have to look at others because they wanted the chance to name their own animal.

In the large open box, a variety of kittens are meowing and pawing to gain Steve and Eir's attention. There are Toygers, American Shorthairs, British Shorthairs, and Siamese but only  _one_ draws in Eir's attention.

It's a Bengal kitten.

He or she is a little older than the other kittens surrounding it. It's white fur is marred by black spots like a cheetah, stripes like a zebra mar it's legs, tail, and down the middle of it's head. And when an odd shade of sky blue eyes meet Eir's plain brown, she's immediately a melted mess of goo.

Reaching in, Eir allows herself to feel a bit of guilt for passing up the others but the moment she has her hands around the one of her choosing and holds it up to her face, she can't help the giddy grin that stretches her lips when the kitten meows and headbutts her affectionately. She holds the kitten by her cheek, turning to face Steve and pout pleadingly at him.

"No," he immediately laughs. "No. Tony will kill you if you bring that in the Tower."

"But it's so cute," she whines playfully. "And Stark.. I can deal with Stark." She grins wider, her mind running a mile a second on how she can change the billionaire's mind.

"Even if you do change his mind, you still have to worry about Pepper."

"Pft. Pepper adores me and when she sets her eyes on," she trails off, lifting the kitten higher to see it's gender. "- _him,_ she'll fall in love, too."

..

..

Twenty minutes later, Eir and Steve step out of Magical Menagerie with a new family member who Steve dubbed  _Casper_ and all the necessities for the cat for the next few months. Steve was very grateful that witches and wizards were able to re-size objects because he was pretty sure if they hadn't, they'd need to make several trips to and from Diagon Alley with all the supplies the cashier sold to them.

Eir is holding the cat in a carrying case, smiling giddily at Steve before handing him Casper. "Hold him. I need to go get Tony's present so he doesn't complain about Casper."

Steve laughs as he takes their cat. "What present are you going to bride Stark with?"

"Just wait and see." There's a bench sitting in front of the shop next to the one they just walked out of and Eir gestures to it. "Sit and wait here? I'll only be a bit."

Steve agrees and after Eir disappears down the alley into a new shop, ten minutes later she's walking towards him with a covered bird cage hanging from hand and a smug smirk.

..

..

After they've shrunk a few more items and put nearly everything into one bag while Eir held onto the bird cage and Steve held Casper's bag, they head back to the Leaky Cauldron to pick up the Firewhiskey and floo back to the Burrow.

As they stumble out into the Burrow's sitting area- Molly, Arthur, Hermione, Pepper, and Tony are all gathered around.

Eir swings the bird's cage behind her legs as subtle as she can when Tony immediately springs to his feet. "Look. Look!" He points to Arthur who's carving something out of wood and Molly who's picking through tiny spoons. "Molly as agreed to make us one of her clocks," he beams. "She's going to take our pictures later on and then floo to the Tower to get Bruce, Thor, Natasha, and Clint's picture taken after the wedding. Our three locations will be  _Home_ for the Tower,  _Mortal Peril_ for when we're on missions because you know we're always in danger, and  _Helicarrier_ because that's the only other place we hang out to annoy our superiors."

Eir is smiling too wide, nodding along with Tony to let him know she' paying attention but Casper manages to let out the loudest meow since they've bought him right when Tony goes silent. Tony's eyes scan for the source but it's Hermione who notices the cat bag in Steve's hand first.

"You didn't?!"

"She did," he chuckles. "I named him Casper."

"Named  _who_ Casper?" Tony asks at the same time Hermione demands, "Let us see!"

Eir's smile is still too wide and very innocent as Steve crouches, undoing the zipper and pulling out Casper. Hermione squeals, climbing to her feet to take Casper in her hands as Pepper  _awws_  and joins Hermione in cooing over the furry creature.

Tony scowls. "No, no, no. Hell no!"

"You didn't even give him a chance," Eir pouts, finally bringing the cage forward. "And if I can't have my pet, you can't have yours. I'll just go return her."

"I don't ca-  _wait. W_ hat pet?"

A hoot sounds from under the cloth material and Tony's eyes immediately widen. "You didn't," Pepper groans as Tony reaches for the cage.

"I did," Eir laughs. "But don't worry. They really are smart creatures and are easily cleaned up after. With Tony's intelligence, I'm sure he'll have a robot to clean up after her in no time."

Pepper opens her mouth to retort but snaps it shut when Tony's lifts the cloth and her eyes land on the most beautiful white barn owl with it's golden brown and charcoal gray wings. "Oh, Eir, she's beautiful."

"Right?" Eir laughs as the owl hoots yet again.

Molly joins them when she realizes there are new pets and she too is drawn in by the owl. "What a beautiful specimen," she coos. "Does she have a name?"

"No," Eir tells her. "She's Tony's to name." The owl is finally released which only causes Casper's attention to zero in on it but Eir immediately puts a stop to it by taking Casper into her own hands and looking directly into his eyes. "No! She's family. You  _do not_  eat family."

Tony snorts and when Eir looks to him, the owl is perched on his shoulder as Pepper gently touches her feathers. "Do you have any idea what you're going to name her?" Pepper asks.

Tony shrugs and Eir answers, "You don't have to choose right away. Get to know her before you name her."

"I already know," Tony admits with a smile.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he nods before reaching up to brush his knuckles along her body. "Harlow."

* * *

**Tony finally got his owl. Lol.**

**Only four chapters left!**

**Coming up next, we have Molly finally telling Eir what she thinks of Steve and Eir lets Molly in on a secret.. plus more!**


	27. Chapter 27

When Eir wakes the following day, it's to an empty bed. A bed which she knew for a fact that Steve had fallen asleep in as well as Casper who curled up next to Steve's head where his neck and shoulder met.

The house is oddly quiet but Eir just guesses that everyone is making sure to map out any last minute details since the wedding is tomorrow. She honest-to-Merlin thought the Burrow would be ground zero since it's being held there but apparently she was wrong.

Thinking she'd need a shower before heading downstairs to seek Steve out, Eir slips out of bed to gather some clothes and heads out into the hallway, her destination being the empty bathroom on her floor.

..

..

Decked out in her Iron Man tee and a pair of jean shorts with black trainers, Eir stumbles into the kitchen as she's pinning her hair up with her wand. Molly's standing by the table and swishing her wand around as a broom and dust pan clean up the floor, and scrubbers scrub away at dirtied dishware.

When the Weasley Matriarch catches sight of Eir, she smiles widely. "Eir, sweetheart, do you want some lunch? It's a bit late for breakfast," she tells her.

"No. No, that's fine," Eir yawns out, her hand reaching up to cover her mouth. "But I will take some OJ if you got any?"

Pointing to the cooler, Molly nods. "It's in there, dear."

Eir smiles politely as she fetches a glass from one of the cabinets before moving to the cooler to pour herself some juice. "Where is everyone? It's quiet."

"It is, isn't it," Molly sighs contently. "I believe Hermione picked up Ms. Potts to take to Shell Cottage for last minute dress adjustments, Arthur has Mr. Stark working on that blasted car of his, and Mr. Rogers is right outside sketching in that book of his."

Sure enough, Eir peeks out the window above the sink to find Steve drawing contently under the Weeping Willow. Grinning at Steve sitting beneath the tree, Eir turns her back as she sips her juice only to catch Molly practically beaming at her. "What?" Eir reddens under her gaze.

"Nothing, dear," Molly tries to busy herself by pulling out a loaf of bread from the bread cabinet and various meats and cheese and spreads from the cooler. "It's just.. he makes you happy. You are happy, yes?"

"Mhm. Very," she answers, smiling down at the floor shyly.

"Good.. good." Molly starts making sandwiches, her gaze occasionally drifting towards the window to peek at Steve. "And what about your living situation, dear? Hermione and Ginny were talking about how you've moved into the Tower of Avengers. How is that exactly? To live with superheroes, I mean. And does Steve worry about you living with them?"

Eir chokes on her juice, having to wipe her chin clean where some juice had dribbled out. "Oh, erm-"

"Yes, Banning, do tell." Tony swaggers into the kitchen, oil stains up to his elbows and smeared on his shirt, jeans, cheeks, and forehead. Turning to Molly, he plasters on his brightest smile. "Arthur was asking for lunch. I decided to be the gopher today."

"Of course, dear, just a moment."

As Molly hurries to prepare sandwiches, Eir scowls at Tony as he hip checks her- standing next to her and draping an arm around her shoulders. "So you were saying," he grins. "How does it feel to live at the Tower?"

"Horrible. Absolutely horrible," Eir deadpans.

"Blasphemy!" Tony retorts, earning a genuine smile from Molly as Eir and Tony make faces at one another when they think she's not looking.

The glares and scowls soon turn into sparkling amusement and grins, Eir finally snorting and shaking her head as she laughs. "The Tower has it's perks," she finally tells Molly. "Everyone is super nice and it's all just.. easy. We get along splendidly."

"That's nice," Molly says. "What about Steve?"

"Oh. Um." Eir gulps, eyes darting up at Tony and pleading. "Steve, uh, Steve.."

"Tell her," Tony removes his arm from her shoulders, bumping her quickly before darting forward to the table to pick up a plate of sandwiches. "Fury won't find out and if he does, we'll tell him I spilled the secret."

Molly wipes her hands clean, eyes wide. "Secret? What secret?"

Instead of glaring at Tony for putting her on the spot, Eir sighs and nods. It was bound to happen sooner or later anyway. "Molly, do you have your tablet on you?" The elder witch nods confusedly, reaching into her apron pocket and pulling out the device. As she hands it over to Eir who's holding out a hand for it, she waves off Tony with her other hand. "Go. I'll bring out drinks in a bit."

Tony smirks and winks, and in seconds, he vanishes from the kitchen. "Eir, what's going on?" Molly finally asks when she sees Eir tapping away on her tablet.

"Steve does not worry about me living with the Avengers because Steve  _is_ an Avenger."

"S-Steve," Molly splutters, whirling around to peer out the window once more at the man who looks humble and peaceful sitting beneath the tree. "Mr. Rogers is an Avenger?"

"Yes," Eir murmurs as she finds what she's looking for and turning the tablet towards Molly so she can see the video playing. "Steve is Captain America."

Molly's eyes dramatically widen as she watches the video play out- the man on screen in a red, white, and blue spandex suit and mask fighting with incredible skill. Shocked brown eyes meet those of pleading brown to understand, and then she's back to watching Captain America punch, kick, and block with a circular shield. Bad guys go down left and right, and when Eir thinks Molly has seen enough, she turns the tablet off and awaits a lecture or scolding. Just.. something.

Molly's mouth opens and closes a few seconds later, the witch resembling a fish out of water as she tries to gather her thoughts. "I.. did he.. d-did you always know?" Molly then settles for as she wrings her hands before busying them with making more sandwiches.

"No," Eir answers honestly. "When we met, he was just Steve and I was just Eir. He  _still is_ Steve, at least to me," she shrugs. "I didn't know he was a super-human and he didn't know I was a witch. I-  _we_  were friends for a bit until I started to realize that he was someone who I could possibly tell the truth to only the deatheaters attacked for the first time before I could muster up the courage."

"Okay," Molly nods. "Were you angry when you found out? Was he?"

Eir chuckles now, a grin slowly tilting the corners of her mouth upward. "No. He called me a witch, I called him Captain America, we laughed. It was that simple. Afterward, he didn't treat me any differently and I didn't treat him special just because of who he is."

"Well, to me, he sounds like a keeper," Molly smiles fondly at her.

Pulling her wand free once more, Molly swishes it at a set of cabinets and cooler, Eir watching on as four glasses come out from the cabinet and a pitcher of lemonade from the cooler. "He is," Eir smiles. "You know, even after finding out my deatheater history, he didn't look at me differently. He once told me I was brave to finally put my foot down and choose what  _I_ wanted."

"And right he is, sweetheart." Molly scuttles over to Eir, planting her hands on Eir's shoulders. "Now out you go," she nods to the door. "There's a plate of sandwiches for you and Mr. Rogers. I'll send the drinks out in a moment."

Surprising the old witch, Eir quickly moves in for a hug. "Thank you, Molly. For everything. For then and now."

"It's quite alright, dear," she returns the hug. "It's quite alright."

Once their moment is over, the two women separate and Molly keeps herself busy in the kitchen as Eir gathers the plate of sandwiches for her and Steve, the four glasses of lemonade levitating behind her as she exits the kitchen.

Halfway down the narrow stone path, two glasses redirect their destination to Tony and Arthur who are seated on wooden chairs next to a dirtied blue Ford Anglia, and the other two continue to follow Eir until she's ducking under the hanging limbs of the fully blossomed tree.

"Hey there, Captain. Hungry?"

Steve smiles without tearing his gaze away from the sketchpad, his hand adding the finishing touches of shading around Tony and Arthur as they laugh openly while standing by the hood of the car.

"Starving," he finally mumbles, placing his pencil in the book crease, shutting it close and startling Casper from his sleep who was sleeping happily by Steve's left thigh. "Sleep good?"

"Mhm," Eir hums, handing Steve the sandwiches before bending down next to him to take a seat on the ground. The glasses of lemonade settle on the ground between them, scaring Casper from his sleeping spot only for him to jump into Eir's lap. "But I would've slept better if I had woken up warm and cozy next to you."

"Sorr,." Steve mutters, biting into a sandwich. "Casper woke me up. Headbutted me until I decided to feed him and play with him," he says after swallowing and taking another bite.

Eir laughs, reaching down with one hand to scratch beneath Casper's chin and smiles fondly when she hears the rumbling of an instant purr. A comfortable silence falls over the two of them, Eir scratching Casper with one hand while taking an offered sandwich with the other to happily munch on side by side with her boyfriend.

"So how are you liking it here so far?"

"Surprisingly well," Steve answers, taking a sip of his drink. "Although, not that I'm complaining or anything, but I thought I'd see a lot less of you. I figured you'd be attached to Hermione's hip since it is her wedding tomorrow."

Snorting, Eir takes another bite of her sandwich while avoiding Casper's pawing at her free hand. "There was no need to be attached to her when I saw or heard from Hermione and George at least twice a week before coming here," she grins. "Besides, we'll all be together tomorrow."

"Yeah," Steve sighs. "And then we go home. I'm not gonna lie, I'm going to miss this place."

"As will I," Eir grins back. "It's surprising, really, given how many Weasley's there are. For all the banter, laughter, and jokes when we're all together, it's surprisingly quiet and-"

"Homey," Steve cuts her off. "I remember you telling us when we first got here that this place was homey," he smiles. "And it is. The Weasley's.. the Burrow. I didn't believe you at first but after the first night, everything just felt-"

"Homey," Eir cuts him back off throwing out his chosen word. "The Weasley's grow on you, don't they?"

"They do. They really do. Especially Molly. She kind of forces herself into your personal space," he laughs. "But it's not unwelcome. It's just unexpected most of the time."

Eir laughs, really laughs, a little harder than expected for what he's said. Instead of questioning what she's thinking about, he merely turns to her and raises an eyebrow. "It's, uh, it's a good thing you think that." Her laughter fades away until she's fidgeting nervously. "Because Molly started to ask me questions before coming out here," Eir gulps. "Questions about how it was to live in the Tower with superheroes and how my boyfriend felt about me living with said heroes."

"Oh," Steve's lip twitch in amusement. "And what did you say?"

"I was failing miserably about coming up with an excuse until Tony told me to just tell her. Said he'd take the blame should Fury find out."

"Oh." Now it's Steve's turn to gulp. "And what was her reaction," he asks nervously.

"Quite good after she found out that you and I had no clue about our other magical/hero life and that we weren't mad at one another when the truth eventually came out," Eir answers him with a grin. "She was glad to find out that you see me just as Eir and I see you as Steve. Then she said you were a keeper."

Steve laughs, taking a drink of his lemonade. "Well at least she knows now," he smiles. "I assume you'll tell the others."

Eir shrugs. "Arthur will probably find out and I'm pretty sure Ron already knows from Hermione. I think Bill and Fleur would like to know but I'm not so sure about the others."

"Yeah, well, whoever you think is worth telling then feel free. I trust your judgment."

"That's good to know," Eir smirks mischievously and decides to change the subject. "Because I was thinking about redecorating our floor at the Tower."

Before Steve can argue about their floor not needing redecorating, the ethereal form of a patronus floats around them before coming to stop in front of them in the form of a familiar otter. Casper catches sight of the patronus, immediately standing up on all fours and jumping to swipe his paw at the otter only when he reaches it, his paw goes right through it.

Eir and Steve laugh, Steve pulling Casper into his lap just as the patronus opens it's tiny jaw to relay it's message from Hermione.  _"Eir, tell Stark that I'm holding Harlow hostage for the time being. The first two times were amusing because we get it, he has his own owl now, but we are planning the last minute details of my dress and if I don't get this done, I will hex him into oblivion!"_ Eir and Steve are leaning on one another, laughing at how Hermione's voice started out normal and then went high-pitched in the end. Hermione takes a couple of deep breaths and then her voice is back to normal.  _"Pepper has tried to tell him to quit it but he's ignoring her calls and even got Arthur- ARTHUR!- to send a patronus saying 'take a chill pill'. I'd never thought I'd say this but it seems Tony's turned Mr. Weasley dark. Please hex him for me."_

As the patronus fades away, Steve and Eir glance at one another before they both crack up laughing.

"Merlin, Hermione's gone mad."

"She's a woman planning her wedding," Steve shrugs with a grin. "Every woman would go a little crazy if they had someone like Stark annoying them."

"True," she smiles fondly before turning to run her fingers through Casper's fur. "I should go check on their progress, yeah? You gonna stay and sketch?"

"Probably," he nods. "Either that or go answer whatever Mrs. Weasley wants to know. I'm sure she has loads of questions now."

Eir laughs with a nod. "Also true."

They sit for a few more seconds in comfortable silence before Eir finally stands, taking the plate with her as well as her half empty glass of lemonade. Steve stands as well, he taking his own glass as he lets Casper walk by their feet.

"Go on ahead," Steve tells her when he suddenly stops. "I need to see a flying car up close and personal at least once in my life," he smiles. "We'll catch up later."

"Yeah. Sure." Eir turns to him, smiling before reaching up for a quick kiss. "Later," she cheekily winks.

As Eir turns back towards the Burrow, she takes Steve's empty glass along with her as Casper chooses to follow him.

Molly is just finishing up her lunch when Eir enters the kitchen, Eir wandlessly and wordlessly sending the dishes in her hands into the sink. Molly merely raises a curious eyebrow in the younger witch's direction and Eir laughs. "A girl has to have  _some_ secrets." Molly laughs along with as she sends her own dishes into the sink when Eir fidgets in place next to her. "Um, Molly, do you think you can escort me to Shell Cottage? I want to see how everything's coming along."

"There's no need, dear," Molly waves her off. "Bill fixed the floo this morning so you're allowed to go to and from the Cottage without a Weasley escort," she smiles warmly.

Eir's eyes widen as she stands a bit taller. "H-he did what? Why?!"

Molly's smile falters though she understands why Eir would think that. "Because you're a great friend of and to Hermione, sweetheart. Not to mention what you did for Teddy last night. Did you know he couldn't stop talking about the pretty  _she-wolf_  he ran with," she smiles knowingly. "You're going to have to come back at least once a month now, I hope you know."

Eir snaps her jaw shut from where it was hanging up, eyes widen as she nods slowly. "I- yeah. I can do that. The Tower is hooked up to the floo anyway so we can go back and forth."

"Wonderful!"

Eir practically beams as tears suddenly fill her eyes, she having to wave off Molly with a smile of reassurance that they were happy tears. After a few seconds of getting herself under control and fanning herself, Eir starts laughing. "I'm just.. I'm just gonna go," she says. "Steve said he'd be in in a bit to answer any questions you might have about him being Captain America."

"Oh." Now it's time for Molly's eyes to widen. "He doesn't have to. If he doesn't want to talk about it, he shouldn't have to."

"It's fine," Eir assures her. "He's fine with it."

"Well, only if he's fine with it then." Molly's cheeks redden and Eir has to hide her amusement at what the redness could possibly mean.

"Mhm. He is," Eir's lips twitch. "I'll just.. I'm just going to go," she gestures to the fireplace in the kitchen. "I'll see you later, Molly."

"Mhm. Be careful, dear," Molly mumbles, her hands already patting down and fixing her hair.

..

..

When Eir stumbles out of the fireplace at Shell Cottage, she's coughing and laughing which quiets the group of women scattered about the room. When Eir gets herself together, she finds that Hermione, Pepper, Ginny, and Fleur are all looking at her with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

Looking at Ginny, Eir's amusement comes back full force. "I think your Mum has a crush on my boyfriend."

Ginny's eyes widen as she barks out a laugh. "What?!"

"Yeah," Eir nods. "I told her about him being Captain America and-"

"Wait, what?!" Now it's Fleur's turn for her eyes to widen in shock. " _Zteve_  is Captain America?"

Pepper seems to be the only one who takes the consequences of important information getting out very seriously so she's the only one who seems on the verge of spewing a cover-up lie, though, Eir's sheepish expression and twitching grin has her sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

"Surprise?" Eir feigns innocence and then promptly turns to face Pepper. "Tony was the one who told me to tell Molly. He said if Fury finds out that he'll take the blame. Please don't be mad!"

Pepper actually groans before slumping in her seat. "Tony would have gotten his way one way or another," she shakes her head in amusement. "As long as they know there's a possibility that there will be paperwork in their future that demands their silence on this then I don't care who knows."

Eir then turns back to Fleur who's blinking rather owlishly. "Still want to know?" With a reluctant nod, Eir grins. "Yes, Steve is Captain America. We didn't tell you sooner because it was a need-to-know type of situation. The only people who know now of his identity are Hermione, Harry, Ginny, George, and Molly. I'm pretty sure Steve will tell Arthur and Hermione's already told Ron." Her grin widens when Hermione guiltily nods. "Now, keep in mind about future paperwork should our boss find out you lot know, but you are welcome to tell Bill. Although, I would hold off about telling Victoire. At least wait 'til she's older."

" _Yez,_  erm,  _yez._ " Fleur eagerly agrees. " _It'z_  just..  _wow!_ " She honest-to-Merlin blushes. "Captain America?"

This earns a round of laughter as Eir finally takes a seat next to Hermione with Pepper and Ginny sitting across the room from them and Fleur near the center of the room. There are wedding binders scattered about the flat surfaces of the coffee and end tables as well as a large dark dress bag hanging from the wall behind Pepper.

"That's nothing," Ginny finally chirps, a devious smirk turning the corner of her lips upward. "You should see Captain America up close and personal. If we hadn't been on a mission together with Eir's life hanging in the balance, I'd have swooned when I met him."

"Same," Hermione's subdued voice says next. Again, the group laughs out loud, the lot of them taking a couple of minutes to finally calm down and get themselves together.

"You know what? I don't even blame you," Eir grins. "Steve.. he's.."

"Hot," Pepper sighs airily. "And I'm not even ashamed to admit it," she smiles wide, winking at Eir. "I might be with Tony but I'm still a woman with perfect vision. Steve Rogers is one fine piece of the male variety."

If Eir were any less sane, she'd have thought they were a bunch of gossiping teenagers. This is the third time in the short span of a couple of minutes that they're left gasping for air as they clutch at their sides and wipe away tears of mirth from their eyes.

They're so caught up in their laughter that it takes a couple of seconds for them to realize that something's ringing. Chiming, to be precise, and it's Pepper's tablet that's the source of noise.

Eir, Hermione, Ginny, and Fleur are trying their hardest to quiet their laughs but seeing each other red faced and shaking with silent laughter only makes them laugh even harder all over again.

Luckily for Pepper, she's skilled in calming herself in situations and schooling her features to appear professionally quite fast. The name that pops up on the screen to tell her who's calling in says  _Private_ but since these numbers to their tablets are pretty much unattainable to anyone and everyone who doesn't have it to begin with, she accepts the incoming  _video chat._ A male and female appear on the screen, the two of them being strangers but the second the female opens her mouth to speak, Pepper knows it's Natasha.

" _What is the name of your Secretary?"_ The blonde bombshell who called in asks. Pepper takes a moment to take in all the differences of the woman she's known as the Black Widow- the once infamous red hair now blonde and cut into a sleek bob right at her chin. Her skin is a shade darker and her eyes now a cool gray.

Smirking victoriously, Pepper answers, "Trick question. I've not had a secretary since the deatheater incident."

The blonde smirks back as does the gentleman sitting next to her. He looks like a long lost relative of Tony- which is a bit hilarious given the situation- Clint's once nearly blonde head of hair now nearly black. His tan is gone as well as the wrinkles and ruggedness of his face giving him a younger look, and he's also sporting a goat-tee with green eyes.

Though they called in together and Pepper knows that  _Natasha_ is smart enough to not be fooled, she still doesn't take a chance and instead of asking only one of them, she asks the both of them their security questions. "What are your favorite magical creatures that Eir let you view in her memories?"

Eir huffs a laugh, Hermione leaning closer to murmur in her ear, "You use the Order's way of security?"

"Mhm," she nods. "Ever since  _the incident_ , Tony and I have gone a bit overboard with security."

Hermione smiles approvingly before leaning back into her chair just as Natasha and Clint give their answers of  _Thestrals_ and  _Hippogriffs._

"Hello,  _team,_ " Pepper then drawls, mimicking the southern accents Clint and Natasha seemed to have magically inherited. "To what do we owe the sudden chat?"

"Boredom," Natasha deadpans. "That and Eir doesn't have her tablet on her so we contacted Steve and he told us she was with you." the blonde admits. "Did you know they got themselves a cat? It's cute."

"Yes," Pepper rolls her eyes. "And Eir got Tony an owl."

"What," Clint yelps. "She got him one of those mangy-"

"Harlow is not mangy," Eir hollers loud enough so Clint and Nat hear her. Somewhere in another room, the distinct sound of a hoot reaches their ears.

"Harlow? Really," the male's voice sounds very unamused as Pepper snorts, turning around the tablet so Eir can see them and they her. "Couldn't think up a better name," Clint then asks.

With a roll of her eyes, Eir smiles. "Tony named her."

"Figures."

Eir huffs a laugh, snapping her fingers dramatically for show and patiently waits as the tablet levitates from Pepper's hands and then hovers over to her. Clint and Natasha both grin at her display of magic but her show has gained the undivided attention of Hermione, Fleur, and Ginny.

" _'ou_  did that wandlessly," Fleur gasps.

"And nonverbally," Hermione adds.

"How?!" Ginny wants to know if her wide shocked eyes are anything to go by.

"Practice," Eir answers honestly though it still comes off as question-like answer.

All three witches narrow their eyes suspiciously, and Clint and Natasha start cackling. "Busted," Clint singsongs. "We better let you go to clean up your mess. Fury's going to have a field day with this."

"Bugger off," Eir snaps at him though there's no heat behind it. "Besides, Tony's the one who'll be taking the blame. He's the one who made me tell Molly about Steve."

"Oohh," Clint continues to tease. "Have fun explaining  _why_ you  _needed_ to learn wandless and nonverbal magic."

And yeah, the suspicious stares are back in full force and Eir groans. She totally isn't giving Clint his treats. "You're so not getting your alcohol," she threatens him. "I'm giving it all to Tony now."

Before Clint can beg for forgiveness, Eir ends the call and sends the tablet back to Pepper's awaiting hands, and before she can explain herself, Hermione is already asking questions.

"Why would you  _need_ to learn wandless and nonverbal magic, Eir?"

Eir's gaze wanders over to Pepper whose lips twitch in amusement before she occupies herself with her tablet and yeah, she's totally not getting any help there. Steeling herself for any type of backlash, Eir tells her why. "Because I'm an Avenger. Er..  _training_ to be an Avenger," she quickly amends. "I still haven't gotten a code name."

Hermione, Ginny, and Fleur are all gaping but Eir starts speaking again before they can yell or voice their opinion. "The Director thought the team could use a magical being on board the team after Loki's destruction and I thought it was a good idea," she shrugs nonchalantly. "But then I brought up the fact that should wand-wielders see that a fellow wand-wielder is openly using to magic to kick some arse, it could start a mess and Fury suggested wandless and nonverbal magic so I don't have to use my wand. I've been studying."

"But your identity," Hermione frowns. "There are still deatheaters out there, Eir. What if one who still holds a grudge against you sees you and starts another deatheater roundup to go up against the Avengers just to get back at you?"

"Bruce has already got me covered," she assures her friend with a small smile. "He's concocted this type of paint. You paint it on and then it dries to your skin like a latex covering. All I have to do is paint on a mask and then peel it off after the fight. That and Tony is determined to make me a mask like his own but without the entire suit."

"What about  _reporterz,_ " Fleur then asks. " _Zurely_   _'ou_ and _Zteve_  go on  _datez_. What  _'appens_  when  _reporterz_  catch  _'ou_ two together?"

"Nothing. Steve is not planning on coming out as Captain America and with my identity hidden, we don't have to worry about reporters." Fleur opens her mouth to ask another question, possibly about being spotted out with the others, so Eir immediately quells her fears. "The reporters are afraid to approach Natasha, and Clint doesn't travel like a normal being so they won't catch him to interview him," she blurts and surprisingly, that quiets Fleur. "Bruce rarely leaves the Tower, Thor hardly visits, and Tony and Pepper will sue the papers should they post pictures without their consent because it goes against our security. We're covered all around."

Fleur and Hermione seem assured that everything would be okay, and it's Ginny who still seems skeptical. "What if the bad guys are muggles," she frowns. "It's forbidden to use magic against muggles even if you are trying to save the day."

"That's where my muggle combat training comes in," Eir grins at her. "I've been training in hand-to-hand combat and weapons training with Natasha and Clint. When they're away on missions, Steve takes over my training."

"Yeah? And how's that working out for you?"

"Splendidly," Eir laughs now that it seems no-one is going to disapprove of her decision. "I'm a shit shot with a bow, barely decent with a gun, but superb with throwing knives," she beams. "My fighting skills are getting better and when Natasha gets back, she's teaching me Clint's weak points so I can finally take him down when we spar."

There's a moment of silence as Eir's admissions sink in, and Pepper and Eir share a look of worry. Though Eir isn't as close to Ginny and Fleur as she is Hermione, it'd still hurt to have them not approve of what she's decided to do with her life.

"Well," Hermione finally speaks up. "As long as you're happy and safe then I don't have anything bad to say."

Eir offers her friend a small grin but as she meets Fleur's gaze- Fleur who's smiling and nodding along with Hermione's opinion- Eir's own grin widens into a grateful smile.

"So unfair," Ginny suddenly wails. "That sounds like such an amazing job!"

Eir and Pepper finally crack a laugh, the tension draining from the room. "It's something all right," Eir tells her. "Just don't tell your Mum. She'll murder me."

"My lips are sealed," Ginny mimics zipping her lips closed and locking it with a key.

Eir sighs a sigh of relief, smiling freely as Pepper finally puts her tablet away so she can stop feigning like she's busy. "So," Eir claps her hands together eagerly. "Can I see the dress now? Are you lot finished with the last minute adjustments?"

"No and yes," Hermione smugly answers.

"What?!"

"You heard me," Hermione smirks over at her friend. " _No_  you can't see and  _yes_  we're done with it's adjustments."

"But why," she whines pitifully.

"Because you didn't help us to begin with," Ginny adds. "Now you have to wait just like everyone else to see the dress."

"You are cruel, cruel witches," Eir pouts.

"Yet you still love us," Hermione grins. "Now, speaking of dresses, what are you wearing?"

"Nope," Eir shakes her head. "I don't get to see yours, you don't see mine."

"Is it at least short and flirty," Ginny asks. "You need to have some fun even though your boyfriend can probably murder anyone who looks your way with his pinky."

Pepper snorts, covering her mouth quickly as Eir laughs. "It's short and.. flowy," she answers. At Pepper's raised eyebrow, she quickly tells her which dress it is without giving away any descriptions. "It's the dress Nat got me for Christmas."

It takes a moment for Pepper to realize what dress she's talking about and when she does, her eyes widen happily. "Oohhh. That dress is pretty. I was wondering when you were going to wear it."

Hermione cocks an eyebrow at Eir, leaning forward a bit. "Really? What dress?"

"Still not going to tell you," she singsongs. "So you can stop asking."

Hermione's grin falters before falling into a frown as she scowls at her friend. "Just for that, I'm telling Molly that you'd love to help out in the morning in setting up outside. I heard they're waking up at five in the morning to ready the yard."

Ginny grimaces, knowing full well that they are waking up early but she's not sure what time. When Eir catches the flinch of sympathy from her, she narrows her eyes on Hermione. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, I would."

* * *

**Three chapters left to go. Next up, we have the setup for the wedding and the girls getting into their dress.**

**After that we have the wedding, reception, and a bit of drama.**

**And at last, we have the epilogue.**

**Crazy how this is all about to end, huh? :)**


	28. Chapter 28

" _UP! GET UP!"_

Eir and Steve jerk awake, unsettling Casper in the process who was curled asleep on Steve's abdomen and not so happy to have been woken up so suddenly if his kitty glare is anything to go by. Pots and pans seem to be clanking together making the most cringe worthy noises ever, and Eir groans before falling back onto her pillow.

"Wha's that," Steve slurs, yawning widely before falling back on his pillow as well. "Why so much noise?"

Casper meows unhappily at the both of them before jumping off the bed and slinks off to his own personal bed where he won't be woken up like that again.

"I think it's Molly," she grumbles, pulling the blanket up so it's beneath her chin and turning on her side to curl at Steve's side.

" _YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES TO EAT BEFORE YOU'RE NEEDED OUTSIDE TO PUT UP THE TENT AND SET UP THE FLOOR AND TABLES! GET UP!"_

"Scratch that. It  _is_ Molly," Eir sighs as she takes a moment to relish the feeling of Steve's warmth and solidity next to her before she uncurls and stretches. "Molly with a sonorus charm. I'm pretty sure she woke up the whole house."

"Well we better get up then," Steve mumbles. "We don't want to anger her."

"Mhmm. Yeah. Let's get right on that."

Steve chuckles, turning his head to the side to glance at Eir only to see her with her eyes slowly closing. "Nope. No you don't," he yawns. Feeling more awake than he did seconds before, he throws the blanket off himself and stands up to walk around the bed to Eir's side. She's pouting with her eyes closed which only causes more amusement for Steve as he reaches for her hands and pulls her up into a sitting position. "Come on. I'm sure there's some delicious food waiting to be devoured downstairs." Eir whimpers pitifully as he pulls her to stand up, he having to hold her upright. "And I'm really curious as to how Tony took his wake up call."

Hearing about Tony's possible grumpiness seems to do the trick and all of a sudden, Eir's ready to head downstairs. With a sleepy grin flashed at Steve, she waves her hand once up and down his form. Before he can ask if she's feeling okay, he feels a tingling sensation starting from the roots of his hair all the way down to the tips of his toes. He feels less sleep deprived and less grimy for just having been woken up and it's then he realizes she used a refreshing charm on him.

"So we don't have to fight Tony and Pepper for the shower," Eir shrugs as her tank top and sleep shorts seem to magically straighten themselves out in front of his eyes. She pulls a rubber band from her right wrist, carding her fingers through her own hair to disentangle it before tying it up in a ponytail. "Ready to go?"

Steve shrugs with a smile, realizing that his own sleepwear is straightened out and since his hair is short enough to not look a mess, he follows Eir to the door and out their room.

In the hallway, a semi awake Pepper is clutching a silk robe around her body as a barely awake Tony leans against the wall, his arc reactor glowing brightly for all see. "Is she serious right now," he mutters lowly, not even bothering to open his eyes.

"Sorry to say so, mate, but yeah she is," Harry's groggy voice answers him.

Eir and Steve turn towards the foot of the stairs on their floor level where Harry and Ginny stand, the both of them yawning and rubbing at their eyes. "Better get a move on before she marches up here," Ginny mumbles. "You've only seen the nice side of my Mum and trust me, you'll want to keep it that way."

There's a moment when everyone just stops- stops and their gazes dart around to everyone standing in the hall before Harry snorts a laugh and decides to head down first. With Harry being the first, it sets off a chain reaction and they all file in a single line downstairs and into the kitchen.

There- there's a quick breakfast of bagels and cream cheese or jam along with orange juice, coffee, or milk. Molly apologizes for the small food selection- telling them they'd have a big lunch after they've finished setting up outside- and starts assigning them jobs. Arthur, Harry, Ginny, Eir, and George- when he showed up- are to levitate the tent. When Percy and Charlie showed up, they were to de-gnome the garden. Fleur was going to make the arch that the couple were to be married under by the Weeping Willow tree, and Bill was bringing by a moving truck that Tony and Steve were to help unload the tables, chairs, and wooden flooring.

When everyone has accepted their job for the morning, Pepper sheepishly raises her hand and asks what she's to do- but since she's a muggle with no superhuman strength or a metal suit to help her move about- Molly apologizes profusely to her before telling Pepper she can go back to sleep or do whatever else she wishes.

Normally, Pepper would make a challenge to prove that she can do whatever everyone else can do but since she's really tired, she accepts Molly's offer of heading back to bed. Tony tries to talk his way out of work by mentioning he's just a muggle as well but when Molly brings up the fact that his suit can help out, Tony knows he's lost that battle.

Once the food has been eaten and drinks drunk, everyone gets clothed properly before heading outside.

There's a humongous tent already laid out on the ground at least thirty yards from the Burrow itself. The witches and wizards- sans Molly- head straight for the tent while Tony and Steve stand back with instructions from Arthur to wait for Bill and Fleur. Eir sleepily takes in the instructions from Arthur- he telling them that they're needed to spread out all around the tent and levitate it on  _three_ when George had finally made his appearance _._ Once the tent's in the air, Ginny's to leave her post and run along the outside of the tent to make sure all the poles are grounded and ready to hold the tent's weight for when they stop levitating it.

..

..

Eir's standing there under the sun's warming rays, arm raised high as she concentrates on the levitating spell. The tent has been in the air for a few minutes already, Ginny running around to make sure the poles are sturdy before they can step back. As Ginny is making her rounds, Eir chances a look over her shoulder only to see Steve and Tony making a team effort in carrying stacked chairs while Bill levitates rounds tables and leaves them a few feet away from what appears to be the entrance of the tent.

Fleur and Molly and even Pepper- who ended up forgoing Molly's idea of getting more sleep- are off by the Weeping Willow. The petals of the tree seem to have been tinged pink around the middle which works out for them because the theme colors vary between pinks, purples, reds, yellows, and white.

The tree is acting as a background for the couple, the arch of dead tree limbs becoming beautiful with orchids and tiger lilies being twined in with the limbs of the arch. Sometime when they were levitating the tent, Charlie and Percy had made their arrival. The both of them are clearly panting, dirtied from running after and catching gnomes who are being tossed in a barrel so they don't reappear too soon before the wedding can even start.

The tent is finally standing on it's own when Steve and Tony come to stand by Eir's side, Eir sighing in relief as Steve moves his arm to the side just enough for Eir to lean against him.

"So this is where the party's to be held," Tony muses, his face mask sliding up. "Looks kind of small."

"Magic, Tony. It's all magic," Eir grins.

Harry and George are setting up another tent- this one small and thinner that is to cover the entrance aisle- just as Ginny unrolls a maroon carpet with golden trimming right beneath it. Eir points ahead, gesturing towards the ground that they can still see from the outside from the few inches the tent walls allow, the grass inside being transfigured into a black marble floor. With a smug smirk then directed to Tony, she gestures for him to follow.

Once the three of them duck inside the tent, refusing to step on the carpet in fear of having Ginny yell at them, Steve and Tony gape at what they're seeing. Everything is bigger than what they were led to believe. Much bigger. And it looks like a humongous ballroom even though they know they're outside.

There's white lace covering the roof and walls inside of the cream-colored tent, a chandelier hanging from the peak of said tent. There are a small number of large paper lantern balls hanging from the roof, the paper lanterns showcasing floral vintage designs. And even though they're standing beneath a tent under the warming sun, there's a magical breeze keeping the air inside cool.

"You guys are such cheats," Tony mutters in awe as he continues to look around. Bill and a brother of his they had yet to meet walk in, levitating tables and chairs only to set them down around the edges of the floor. "But it does cut down on time so magic does come in handy."

"Yeah, it does," Eir smiles triumphantly just as Bill and Charlie make their way towards the group.

Bill quickly greets Eir, Charlie nodding politely to each of them before his gaze lingers on Tony. "Is there any reason Iron Man is here," he asks. "We're not in any type of danger, are we?"

"What? No," Bill laughs and claps his brother on the back. To Tony and Steve, Bill and Charlie are quite the pair. While Bill is tall, lanky, and has slight muscle definition to him with his scarred face sticking out the most to them- Charlie is a bit of the opposite. He's an inch or two taller than Bill, red hair cut short, and has a broad build about him with more muscle definition than his slimmer brother. Charlie has scars of his own but instead of claw marks like Bill, Charlie bears burn marks from the dragons he looks after. "Steve, Eir, and Tony have been staying with Mum and Dad for the wedding. They're guests here."

Charlie's eyes widen slightly as his gaze quickly darts to his brother. "You're on a first name basis with an Avenger?"

Eir bites her lip to keep from laughing though Tony doesn't bother hiding his amused chuckle. Eir then loses the battle with her own laughter when she sees Bill's gaze dart to Steve and then herself before finally landing back on his brother. "Yeah. I guess you can say I'm friendly with  _an_ Avenger." And yeah, Fleur definitely filled her husband in from yesterday's conversation.

Before Charlie can think too much on his brother's wording, Steve sticks his hand out to introduce himself. "I'm Steve Rogers. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," he shakes his hand. "Charlie Weasley."

Eir dips her head in acknowledgment when Charlie looks down at her, Charlie returning the gesture before his gaze wanders back to Tony who doesn't bother sticking his hand out. "You already know me but since it's the polite thing to do," he grunts as Eir jabs him in the ribs. "Tony Stark."

"Charlie," he then introduces himself again.

There's a moment of silence that fall upon the five- the silence not lasting long when Molly and Fleur enter the tent with sheets of material draped over their arms and shoulders.

"We have more tables than this," Molly nearly shouts. "Boys! Where are the rest?!"

Bill and Charlie gulp at their Mum's menacing look; Tony, Steve, and Eir trying their hardest not to snicker. As the brother duo excuse themselves to finish bringing in the tables and chairs, Molly focuses her attention on Eir.

"Eir, darling, would you please go help Pepper and Ginny in the kitchen?"

"Of course, Mrs. Weasley." Eir quickly plasters on an innocent smile, she having to stomp on Tony's toes when he mimics her.

"Boys, you're free to get cleaned up and eat lunch. We've got it from here."

"Of course, Mrs. Weasley," Tony and Steve spout off in unison, Fleur sharing in Eir's amusement from behind Molly's back when the boys act so innocently.

When the three of them are finally excused- Steve, Tony, and Eir are laughing their way up to the Burrow's back garden when a throat is suddenly cleared rather loudly. Their laughter fades away, Eir's smile faltering when they're faced with yet another redhead. This redhead, though, is quite short and lanky with his red hair sitting atop his head in curls. He has a smudge of dirt on the bridge of his nose and right cheek, and he doesn't know whether to smile at them or sneer.

Right away, Tony and Steve are on edge and discreetly take a step closer to Eir.

"Banning," he greets.

"Percy," Eir's lips thin as she greets him back before gesturing to each person at her side. "This is Steve and Tony."

The two Avengers don't move a muscle to greet the new man only nodding in greeting when Percy seems to relax a bit and nods at them first. "How's life," he asks as a way of attempting small talk.

"Can't complain," she shrugs. "Yours?"

"Decent," Percy answers, shifting nervously from foot to foot when Steve and Tony don't relent on their suspicious stares. "So, um, George tells me you found him a job." Eir's head falls forward, groaning at George's inability to keep his mouth shut as Tony and Steve tense back up. "A job with a secret spy agency."

"It's.. it's not really a secret agency," she mutters. "More like national security that deal with the normal and abnormal."

Percy's eyes widen a bit as his mouth drops open. "And you trusted my brother with this job? My brother who's known for his pranks. Why?"

"Because believe it or not," Eir's eyes narrow dangerously that Percy has to gulp at what he's just done. "George is capable of more than pranks.  _Your_ brother has earned himself a job with some of the highest ranking officials in the muggle world to keep identities hidden. He helps save lives."

The tension is thick in the air and only grows more tense when Percy opens his mouth. "Yes but why George if there are more experience witches and wizards capable of the job?"

Eir actually gasps before clenching her jaw in anger. She takes one step forward only to be gripped by the bicep and gently pulled back. "Don't," Steve warns her. "We're here for Hermione. He's about to become her family. Don't ruin the day for everyone."

Eir takes a deep breath in and then releases it before relaxing some of her muscles as she produces a sneer worthy of a Malfoy. "George  _is_  experienced. More than qualified, actually." Her voice is low, letting the three surrounding men know exactly how angry she is. "Your brother has turned some of his best pranks and made them muggle friendly so the Avengers can use them to catch the bad guys. Your brother might be a prankster but that's not all he is. Think before you speak, Percy, or are you not the smartest one in your family as I thought?"

Percy is stunned speechless and left gaping by the time Eir is done talking. When he doesn't say anything in retaliation, Eir huffs and rolls her eyes. Her left hand reaches back for Steve, his hand reaching for hers and tangling their fingers together as she moves to take a step around Percy to finally head into the Burrow.

With Tony at their side, the three of them are nearly to the kitchen's entrance when Percy's voice stops them. "I'm sorry! I- I didn't mean to sound like I was putting down my brother."

Whirling around, Eir glares at him. "Then what were you trying to say, hmm?"

"I.. I was actually fishing for a job," he mumbles, eyes darting around to make sure no-one else heard. "Working for the Ministry is fine but I want to do something more," he finally admits. "The way George talks about the muggle agency, I just.. I want to be a part of that."

Eir sighs before letting the tension drain from her muscles and anger fade, her features smoothing out as she studies the Weasley before her. Tony groans, muttering about going inside to change and find something to eat before disappearing from her side. "This must be eating you up inside, huh," Eir snorts. "Having to come to the one person you hate looking for a job?"

Percy's ears redden, his eyes darting from Eir to Steve who looks very unimpressed with him. "I- I don't hate you," he blurts. "I  _disliked_ you."

"Disliked," Eir's eyebrow quirks in amusement, her lips twitching though she manages to refrain from grinning.

"Yes," Percy sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's hard to hold on to that dislike when your entire family practically sings your praises daily," he shrugs. "I've gotten over it."

"I see." Eir finally laughs, shaking her head in astonishment. Pursing her lips in contemplation, Eir takes a moment to think. "I'm not sure if there are any openings but the Director does like taking in magical beings," she finally tells him. "You deal with politics at the Ministry, yeah?"

"Mostly pushing paper."

"But paperwork pertaining to the laws and everything," Eir tries again which then earns a nod from Percy. "Good. That's good," she grins. "When we get back, I'll talk to our Boss to see what he says. There's a good chance there will be a spot open and if not, he'll make one. You could be a valuable asset to be the go-between between the Ministry and muggle agency."

Percy sighs in relief, finally smiling at Eir. "Thank you. Really, thank you."

"It's no problem."

Percy's smile widens before he nods and gestures over his shoulder, gesturing towards the tent before he takes his leave. As Eir watches him go, she feels her hand being squeezed and remembers that Steve is still there with her. Chancing a look up at him, she finds him smiling proudly at her.

"I'm proud of you," he says before pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. "You didn't owe that man anything yet you probably just secured him a high paying job with S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Eh, I'm feeling generous today," she grins, stealing herself a kiss from his lips. "Now, come on. Let's go get cleaned up and grab some food before Tony eats it all."

..

..

After the lunch feast of roasted chicken legs and thighs, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob- the entire family and Burrow guests were permitted to get some rest. Of course, they were on a time schedule so alarms were set in case they overslept.

As majority of the house slept some more, Molly and Fleur continued to finish setting up outside with the help of Charlie and George.

By 4P, everyone was up and about and taking turns showering at the Burrow. Pepper, Eir, and Ginny were walking around in robes when Hermione finally floo'd over, the Bride-To-Be being banned from peeking into the back yard before being herded upstairs to start getting dressed. Once in Ginny's childhood room with all their dresses, shoes, jewelry, and beauty products, Hermione wasn't allowed out of the room and no male was allowed in. Eir and Pepper had kissed their boys goodbye for the time being, locking themselves in the room with their friend while Ron, Harry, George, Tony, and Steve got ready on the floor above.

Pepper- who relied on keeping to a schedule- was a bit flustered when Eir, Hermione, and Ginny immediately transfigured the bed into a couch as well as a dresser into a love seat, and made no move to get ready. The old school trunk that had been place at the end of Ginny's bed was pushed to the side and the curtain hanging over the window was levitated in the corner for when they needed a bit of privacy to change into their knickers.

"W-what are you doing," Pepper stammers. "The wedding starts at six! We still have hair, makeup, and slipping on our dresses and shoes!"

"Ms. Potts," Hermione smiles politely while trying her best to hide her amusement. "Calm down. There's plenty of time when you've got magic on your side."

"Makeup charms and potions for sleek hair," Eir muses. "You name it, we've got something for it."

"Exactly," Ginny pipes up as she moves about the side of the room, diving into her bag and producing a bottle of champagne and champagne flutes from within. "So do us a favor and sit your pretty little arse down and enjoy an hour or so of girl talk before we start getting ready. I'm pretty sure Harry is liquoring the boys up as well."

Eir laughs, patting the seat next to her when Pepper catches her gaze. "It's fine, Pep, we've got time."

Blowing out a somewhat aggravated- somewhat relieved sigh- Pepper takes a seat and crosses one leg over the other before accepting a flute of bubbling champagne. "Oh, hell. Might as well do as I'm told," she shrugs and sips her drink.

"That's the spirit," Hermione cheers, taking a flute for herself.

For the next hour or so, the four women relax in their robes and talk among one another, bouncing ideas off one another for how they're going to want their hair to look. Eir, having chose the most complicated of hair-do's between the four of them gets seated first in the middle of the room as Hermione and Ginny stand on either side of her.

Pepper happily sips her champagne as Hermione and Ginny wave and flick their wands over Eir's head. She watches on in awe as strands of Eir's hair starting parting themselves before moving to pin themselves high up on Eir's head so there's nothing touching her neck. Her hair is completely dry so some strands stick out but it only serves to make the do look that much more better. Strands of springy curls frame her face and after approving of it, Eir gets up and Pepper takes her place.

After explaining what her dress looked like, everyone settled that a dark yet sleek look would look good. They drizzle some sleekeazy into Pepper's hair, Eir being the only one comfortable enough to dive her fingers in and massage the potion into Pepper's roots. Once that's done, her hair keeps the wet look and the girls are quick to perform their charms, Pepper's hair moving on it's own to tightly pin itself in a sophisticated look at the nape of her neck.

Pepper approves wholeheartedly, Ginny taking Pepper's spot in the chair to let Hermione's hair-do be pinned last. Ginny went the easy route, Hermione throwing some sleekeazy into her soon to be sister-in-law's hair and combed it to hang passed her shoulders in a cascade of red waves.

Hermione's hair was then pinned last, golden streaks coloring her dark curls. With half a bottle of sleekeazy, her curls smoothed out perfectly for Eir and Ginny to work with. Her hair down the middle of her head made a slight mohawk poof before being pinned up messily with strands of hair poking out here and there.

It was when they were applying their makeup that the conversation picked back up again.

"So, Eir, have you seen the ferret since you've been here," Ginny asks innocently as she helps Pepper with her makeup.

"Ferret," Pepper mumbles in confusion, keeping her eyes closed as Ginny magics on a bit of dark eye shadow.

"Er, long story short, Draco was being a prat one day at school and pulled his wand on Harry's turned back. At the time, who we thought was our teacher but was really a deatheater in disguise, transfigured Draco into a ferret and shoved him down his friend's trousers."

"Oh. Wow." Pepper fights off a grin and Eir laughs in the background.

"He's never going to live that name down," Eir grins. "And no, I haven't seen him," she finally answers Ginny's question. "We've kept in touch but thought it best to not see each other until he's finished with his sentencing. We don't want people finding out I've gone to visit the Malfoy's and then rumors starting up about deatheaters reuniting and blah, blah, blah.."

"But you're not a deatheater," Hermione frowns.

"Of course, I'm not," Eir shrugs. "But just because we acknowledge that doesn't mean others do."

"Well that's just not fair," Pepper admits her opinion. "He's one of your best friends and if you want to see him, you should be able to see him."

"And I will," Eir smiles at her. "In a couple years, I will and when I do, you lot will regret ever saying this because we'll be attached to the hip once more."

"Hmm, I don't think Steve will like that," Ginny teases. "I hope you have a camera on you when Draco starts to hang around your home. I wanna see if Captain America and the prat will go toe to toe."

Hermione laughs along with Ginny as Eir and Pepper grin at the mental image they've just been handed on a silver platter. "Speaking of seeing people," Pepper then murmurs. "I've been curious about something."

"Shoot," Eir says as Pepper stands from the chair, Eir taking her place so Ginny can work on Eir's makeup next.

"You've mentioned before that you were once friendly with Thor and Loki before everyone knew who Thor was." And right away, Eir knows where this is going. "When Thor took you to see Frigga on the day of New Years Eve, did you visit Loki? You never mentioned him when you came back and I know he was a good friend of yours."

Ginny falters with her wand movements, Hermione biting her lip sheepishly as she too awaits Eir's answer. "I- I did," Eir finally admits with a gulp. "But then I didn't." As everyone's blank yet confused looks, Eir explains. "I wanted to see Loki for myself as everyone saw him during the Battle of New York but I didn't want him to manipulate me if he realized who I was."

"So what did do," Ginny asks, continuing to magic on Eir's dark eye makeup and magicking a bit of foundation to even out any blemishes.

"I changed into my animagus form," she admits. "But since Frigga could still sense my magical aura, she- and I swear to Merlin if you tell Tony this, I will hex the lot of you six ways to Sunday!" Ginny, Hermione, and Pepper all snort, eyes sparkling in amusement before holding their hands up in surrender. "Since I was a wolf, it was easy to pass my presence off as a pet of Thor's, so Frigga gave me a collar to hide my aura from Loki's senses before Thor guided me down to Loki's prison. He," she trails off, her throat tightening with the emotion suddenly surging through her. "-he was exactly like they said. He wasn't in his right state of mind and he spoke such cruel words to Thor. I couldn't believe that  _that_ was the God of Mischief I grew up liking."

Eir doesn't know that her eyes have teared up so much until Ginny suddenly pounces on her and demands that she not cry. Eir barks out a laugh, taking the offered tissue from Pepper to carefully clear away any tears so it doesn't mess up her makeup.

It's when Eir's working on Ginny's makeup of light eye shadow and rosy cheeks that Molly and Fleur burst into the room, eyes widening at the lack of clothing on the girls before Molly starts shrieking at them.

"You have thirty minutes 'til you're to walk down the aisle and you aren't in your dress yet?!"

Pepper immediately starts choking on her drink, Eir rushing over to slap her friend on the back when Ginny sets out to hurriedly magic on Hermione's makeup. "I'm sorry," Ginny blurts in a panic. "We got sidetracked."

"Enough chit-chat," Molly scolds the lot of them. "Hurry up, girls," she then claps her hands together, eyes staring between Pepper and Eir. "Get in your dresses while Ginny helps Hermione. We don't have much time left."

Eir and Pepper don't even bother to go against Molly's demand, both women rushing over to their dress bags hanging on the side wall and gathering their clothes. Fleur steps in to help Ginny with Hermione's makeup- the dark eye shadow having a shimmer of glitter in it.

Eir and Pepper slip behind the privacy curtain, turning their backs to each other for a bit of privacy and quickly slip into the slinky undergarments for their chosen dresses. They elbow each other a few times, both having to bite their tongue to keep in their laughs as to not anger Molly any more than she already is. It's only when they're ready to be zipped in their dresses that they finally face each other.

Eir's dress falls directly above her knees, a band of stretch material clinging to her form right below her bust as the rest of the material hangs freely. Pepper's dress is the complete opposite- it being a one-shoulder black gown that falls down to the ground, a slit at her right leg that stops above her calf.

"Wow," both girls say in unison, giggling before they can stop themselves.

Eir turns first, Pepper getting the hint and zipping up Eir before giving the witch her back and Eir doing the same for her. When they step out from behind the curtain, they get cooed over by the rest of the women before their shoes are being handed over to them. As they slip into their sandals, Ginny disappears behind the curtain to change and since Hermione doesn't care about privacy at the moment, she strips out of her robe right then and there, and is handed her dress by Fleur.

Eir is in complete awe of the white dress- the bedazzled sweetheart neckline immediately catching her attention. Molly and Pepper help Hermione step into the dress, Fleur standing in the back to zip up the form fitting top as the tulle skirt flares out at Hermione's hips.

"Oh, 'Mione, it's beautiful." Eir can feel her eyes water now, the witch having to fan herself to keep from crying.

When Ginny steps out, her black dress with red and white vintage designs fits her perfectly. "Alright, girls," Molly sniffles. "Out, the lot of you," she shoos them away. "Go take your seats."

Pepper, Eir, Ginny, and Fleur all nod- making last minute touch ups before they step out of the room. Before the door can shut behind them, though, Molly calls out to Ginny to make sure to send up Mr. Granger.

* * *

**So the wedding and reception were all to be in this one chapter but it became too long and I cut it in half. Sorry!**

**There are[two NEW sets](http://crossxover.polyvore.com/?filter=sets) up on polyvore- both sets being for this chapter and the upcoming one since it's all wedding related :)**

**Enjoy!**


	29. Chapter 29

Pepper and Eir make their way outside, smiling fondly when they see Teddy and Victoire chasing one another, before they're greeted by their men at the back door. Steve and Tony are openly gaping, leaving the women to preen under their stares.

Tony is the first to break out of his speechlessness, snapping his mouth shut and smirking rather smugly as he offers Pepper his arm. "My lady," he purrs, causing Pepper to laugh and fix his black bow-tie before smoothing out a wrinkle or two on his tux.

Steve finally snaps out of his own bubble, slowly shutting his mouth as he smiles at Eir. He, too, offers his arm that Eir takes with a grin. "You can never stray for too long without the plaid, huh," she chuckles, side-eyeing him in his dark charcoal gray suit with a plaid undershirt.

"At least I can pull it off," he replies. "Even Tony was surprised."

"Yes, well, I'm really not," Eir grins as she ogles him once more. "You look really good."

Steve laughs, turning a bit to press a kiss to her temple. "Says the woman who's showing more skin than I can handle at the moment," he murmurs.

Eir laughs openly, her hand flying up to cover her mouth as her cheeks burn red. Her reaction catches Tony and Pepper's attention, both of them narrowing their gazes on Eir rather suspiciously before Eir forces an innocent smile at them. Before Tony or Pepper can ask what that was all about, George appears in a rather fancy blazer jacket that's been left unbuttoned, a white undershirt, and some black slacks.

"Ladies. Gentlemen," he greets them with a mock bow. "Aren't we lot looking rather dashing and gorgeous this evening."

Tony and Steve huff a laugh while Pepper and Eir grin simultaneously. "Thank you, George," both women say. "At least someone complimented us."

"What?! We.. complimented.." Tony trails off, brows furrowing before smoothing out and a roguish grin makes a presence. "Pepper, honey, you look-"

"Stuff it, Tony," she deadpans which causes Eir to cackle.

Tony pouts and George steps in while offering both his arms to Eir and Pepper. "Hermione called me an usher. I'm to  _usher_ you to your seats so shall we?"

"We shall," Eir nods, letting go of Steve's arm and moving to take a stand at George's left elbow while Pepper latches on to his right.

Tony's pout deepens and Steve chuckles before clapping his friend on the back. "Suck it up, Stark, and let's go get our seats."

They follow in George's steps until they hit the spot where the wedding's to take place, the chosen spot looking very different than it did that morning. The Weeping Willow with it's pinkish white petals sway in a light breeze, the arch standing tall right before it. The man known as Kingsley Shacklebolt- or the Minister of Magic- is standing beneath the arch in all his yellow and black robed glory with a nervous Ron Weasley in a black and white tux.

There are two groupings of white wooden chairs- at least fifty or more on each side of the makeshift aisle- and Steve briefly wonders what happened to the  _small_ wedding. The grass beneath their feet is a rather vibrant and healthy looking green, white petals scattered over the grass of the aisle that the bride is to walk down.

Since Ron and Hermione have no wedding party standing up with them, everyone is immediately seated whenever they show up. Most of the Weasley's are seated on right side of the aisle- witches and wizards in muggle wear and robes finding their seat as the minutes dwindle down. George ushers them to the second row on the left side of the aisle, he muttering to them that they're sitting behind Hermione's parents, Ginny, and Harry. As they're seated, long metallic rod sparklers are produced from George's inner pocket before he hands them to Pepper, Eir, Tony, and Steve- telling them that once they're held up in air to make an arch for the newly wedded couple's exit, someone will magically light them.

Pepper seems excited by the idea and happily takes her seat. Since Eir is the one to have known Hermione longer, they give her the aisle seat followed by Steve, Pepper, and then Tony.

As they're seated and waiting for the wedding to start, more and more people are taking their seats. One person in particular catches Steve's attention- a witch with dark wild curls tied off to the side at the nape of her neck, a pen and pad in hand while an antique looking camera levitates near her head. Frowning at the witch's presence- a witch who appears to be a reporter that is standing on the groom's side without taking a seat- he bumps his knee with Eir's. "Who's that," he murmurs softly so only she can hear.

Eir turns to follow his gaze, brows furrowing in confusion before she figures out who it is. Turning back to Steve, she leans toward him to speak lowly. "That's Romilda Vane. She's a reporter for the Daily Prophet."

"Okay," he drawls. "Why does Hermione have a reporter at her wedding?"

Eir grins, shrugging a bit. "You read the newly recent books I purchased, yeah? The ones about the war that nearly destroyed our school and the heroes of that day?" At his his nod, Eir grins wider. "The Golden Trio, love. Two out of the three of them are tying the knot to each other so, of course, there's going to be reporters."

Again, his gaze darts back to the lone reporter. "I only see one."

"There's another one somewhere," Eir tells him. "There are two main newspapers in the Wizarding Realm- the Daily Prophet and the Quibbler- and instead of having them possibly ruin the happy day, Hermione invited two of their reporters here." She's glancing over her shoulder now, eyes searching for the second when she finds her. "Ah, there's the other," she nods discreetly which causes Steve to turn in his chair to see. "The pretty yellow blonde with curls down to her waist, that's Luna Lovegood. She's a bit on the eccentric side and now writes for her Father's paper. She's a good friend of the Golden Trio which is why she's seated and not Romilda."

"I see," Steve chuckles as he faces forward again. "Bad blood?"

"Bad blood," Eir nods. "Romilda was in Gryfindor just like Ron, Hermione, and Harry, and Romilda had a bit of an infatuation with Harry one year. She tried slipping him a love potion that was hidden in chocolate but she caught Harry at a bad time, and he ended up giving his chocolate to Ron." Steve grimaces and Eir has to bite her lip to stifle her laughter. "Hermione and Ron weren't an item at that point but Ron was a bit loopy on the potion and Hermione's never forgiven Romilda for doing that even though the potion was meant for someone else."

"I can see now why she's standing in the back."

"Exactly," Eir smothers another laugh.

Before she and Steve can start up another conversation, she sees Harry and Ginny quickly take their seat next to Mrs. Granger and a hush falls around them. The sound of violins fill the air, a song that Eir is not familiar with but stands nonetheless with the other guests. Everyone turns to face the end of aisle and Eir gasps aloud when she sees her friend.

Sure, she saw Hermione in her dress upstairs as they were getting dressed but it's a whole different vision when she's walking down the aisle with her father on her arm. Along with Hermione's brilliant jeweled dress, she wore a simple silver necklace with a dangling diamond. She smiles brilliantly at what Eir could only guess is Ron and holds a beautiful bouquet of white orchids with a mixture of purple, pink, and yellow petals, and purple tiger lilies dangling from the bottom.

As Hermione and her father slowly marched down the aisle, Eir beams proudly at her friend and even offers her a wink when Hermione catches her gaze. All too soon, Mr. Granger is giving his daughter away to her soon-to-be husband and taking his seat by his wife in front of Eir. Ron and Hermione join hands, beaming at one another as the guests all take their seat.

Kingsley is smiling proudly at the two before him, spreading his arms wide as he looks out upon the guests. "Friends. Family. I would like to welcome you as witnesses to the magical binding of Mr. Ronald Weasley and Ms. Hermione Granger."

Eir zones out after that, one ankle tucked under the other as she leans a bit away from Steve. Though as Kingsley's voice drones on, Eir's left hand mindlessly wanders until she's gripping Steve's hand and tangling their fingers together. When she feels pressure on her hand, she chances a look at Steve and finds him smiling fondly at her before he turns his attention back to the wedding taking place.

Eir gives Kingsley, Hermione, and Ron her attention once more only to find Kingsley with his wand out and a ribbon of magic slithering around Hermione and Ron's clasped hands- the ribbon of magic traveling upward to circle their forearms.

"Do you, Ronald Weasley, promise to stay faithful to Hermione? To love and encourage her through her endeavors for the rest of your life?"

"I promise."

"And do you, Hermione Granger, promise to stay faithful to Ronald? To love and encourage him through his endeavors for the rest of your life?"

"I promise."

Hermione and Ron stare and smile at one another as if they're the only two there, the magical ribbon tying them together glowing a bright gold before vanishing into their skin.

"Then by the Power granted to me by Merlin and all my ancestors- yada, yada, yada," the wedding guests all chuckle at this, including the bride and groom- the groom who looks to be near tears. "I now pronounce you man and wife. Go on, son. Kiss the bride."

Ron doesn't need to be told twice, he immediately reaching up and gently cupping Hermione's face in the palm of his hands before gently pressing his lips to her in the most chaste, yet intimate kiss that Eir has ever witnessed.

Everyone is immediately on their feet- clapping, cat calls, and wolf whistles encouraging the newly wedded couple. Eir is smiling brightly, clapping and whooping for her friend before she feels herself being pushed towards the aisle. Looking up at Steve, he rolls his eyes before hooking his thumb over his shoulder and singling out Tony.

"He's excited for the sparklers."

"Of course he is," Eir laughs.

She doesn't move any further until she sees others with their sparklers moving to line up down the aisle- she quickly noticing that the only ones with sparklers being family and a very select group of friends that she recognizes from their Hogwarts years. As she finds her spot in the line, Steve hands her a sparkler and she notices Pepper and Tony eagerly take their place on the other side of Steve. When she catches George's gaze, he nods and holds his sparkler up so she quickly does the same. When everyone catches on and hold up their sparklers out at an angle to make an arch- someone magically ignites them.

Once more, Kingsley speaks. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Ronald and Hermione Weasley."

The newly wedded couple stand side-by-side, raising their clasped hands up in the air when cheering commences once more and then they're off walking together beneath the sparks of red and gold.

..

..

Eir, Steve, Tony, and Pepper soon find themselves standing outside the tent where the wedding reception is set to start soon.

"That was quick," Pepper comments. "Lovely, but fast."

"What can I say," Eir grins. "We'd rather party than be seated for an hour or more of talking."

"I like it," Tony nods. "Your kind have the right idea."

Steve rolls his eyes all in good humor while Pepper and Eir grin. Soon enough, Eir nods towards the tent entrance and the foursome make their way inside.

Pepper is the only who has yet to see inside yet when the foursome finally enter, they're all left slightly gaping in the awe. The tent walls have a maroon glow to them, the chandelier lit brightly from it's center of attention. The paper lanterns are lit as well, glowing softly as to illuminate their floral vintage designs, and floating freely yet slowly up above.

Round tables are scattered about along the inside edges of the tent, Ron and Hermione's main table in the middle of the back wall and spaced from every other table so they're everyone's focus. The tables and chairs are draped in white, maroon ribbons tied around each of the chairs.

The center pieces catch Eir's attention, three uneven glasses sitting atop a circular mirror. Yellow glass gems fill the bottom of each glass that then is filled with water and a single orchid with a red tint to it's petals is submerged with a single lit candle sitting above it. Petals are scattered along the mirror's surface as well as a few more lit candles.

But the thing that has caught everyone else's attention- the thing that has Steve tugging on Eir's hand- is the ceiling. The ceiling of the tent which has been enchanted to mirror that of the night sky, stars twinkling so close yet so far with wisps of clouds floating above.

"Come on," Eir grins. "Let's go take our seats."

"B-but the ceiling," Tony stammers. "It's the-"

"Night sky," Eir cuts him off. "I know. I've seen magic like that before- powerful stuff- and I've only known one person to be capable of that," she says as she takes Steve by the hand and leads him to their designated table. "But since that wizard is dead, I can only assume his successor is here and enchanted the ceiling for Hermione since it was one of her favorite things about the Great Hall when we were in school."

The first part of the reception is the dinner, which of course only happens after the wedded couple is introduced to them once again. And since this is a wedding for a pure-blood and muggleborn, there's a bit of a difference than what the muggles or Hermione grew up to know.

After the dinner, it's going straight into the party and music, and there will be no Maid of Honor or Best Man speeches. There will also be no tossing of the bouquet or slinging of the garter which Tony was a bit bummed about.

When Eir finally finds their table, it's two tables away on the right from Hermione and Ron's table, and George and Charlie are seated with them. When they take their seats, Pepper and Eir are seated next to each other with Tony at Pepper's other side and Steve at Eir's. George is seated next to Tony and Charlie next to Steve.

They make small chit-chat for a bit before an announcer somewhere introduces Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Weasley, and then they're going crazy by clapping and cheering for the happy couple.

As the newly wedded couple take their seats, menus magically appear in front of each guest with three dinner choices. Platters of champagne are levitating around the room, Charlie immediately plucking glasses off and passing them out around their table while the others try to figure out what they want to eat.

"What are you getting," Eir mumbles, nudging Steve with her elbow.

"Steak and steamed veggies," he immediately replies. "You?"

"I'm torn between the chicken and roasted salmon in lemon herbs," she answers. "I don't know what to get."

"Ditto," Pepper sighs. "The chicken and salmon sound good right about now. Tony, what are you getting?"

"Steak, obviously."

Eir snorts, eyes roaming the menu and she tries to make her decision but she just can't. "Hey, Pep, you pick one and I'll pick the other. We'll be vultures and pick off each other's plate."

Pepper huffs a laugh and Eir assumes she took it as a joke so she's quite shocked when Pepper suddenly hums and agrees. "Deal. You get the chicken and I'll get the salmon."

"Deal."

Their table has gone oddly quiet and when both ladies peer up, Tony, Steve, Charlie, and George are all staring at them. "What," Eir feigns innocence. "Don't judge us just because you didn't think of it first."

The men chuckle and not so surprisingly, it's Tony who breaks their laughing streak first. "So, uh, when do we order? I'm kind of starving."

Eir rolls her eyes with a small smile and it's George who tells him how to place his order. "You see that small round circle beneath Ron and Hermione's name? The thing that looks like a speaker?" When Tony, Steve, and Pepper find said  _speaker,_ they nod. "Right, well, what you're going to want to do is speak your name and then say what plate number you want." Three pairs of eyes dart up to George very suspiciously and when they don't make a move to do as he said, George huffs and picks up his menu. Watch." Clearing his throat, he puts the menu right before his mouth. "George Weasley, plate three," he announces clearly, picking out the steak and veggies.

As he sets down his menu, said plate of steak and veggies appear from thin air right before him.

"I love magic," Tony breathes in awe before excitedly picking up his own menu. "Tony Stark, plate three."

Just as George did, Tony sets down his menu and watches as seconds later his plate of food appears. There's a sharp intake of breath from Eir's left and when she turns to Steve, he's staring slack jawed at Tony eagerly cutting into his steak.

"Go on," Eir tells him. "You know you're eager to order now."

Steve's slack jawed expression quickly turns into a sheepish smile as he, too, places his order for the steak and veggies. Eir continues to watch his expression as it shifts into something that appears like child-like glee when his food appears before finally giving Pepper her attention. Though when she turns to Pepper, she laughs as she sees a plate of salmon already sitting in front of Pepper.

"Mmmm," Pepper hums around her fork, eyes closing in what Tony would call a food-gasm. "You really need to try this," she says once her eyes are back open and staring at Eir. "It's so good!"

"Yeah yeah," Eir huffs a laugh. "You could have waited, like, five more seconds," she grins before she orders her own plate of chicken.

..

..

Eir and Pepper are conversing between one another, sipping the last of their champagne and letting their stomach settle with the food they've finished minutes before. They're chuckling about how Charlie and George conspired with Steve and Tony to get themselves more food from the house elves who had been hired to cater to the wedding, and who had been stationed in another tent on the other side of the Burrow.

Apparently, the house elves adored Steve's charming self and gave him whatever he wanted while the other three had to mooch off of Steve's new-found adoration from the elves.

During their dinner, there had been a constant line of people waiting to greet and address the wedded couple as they ate, and it was only after Eir had finished her food did she see a lull in the greetings. She thought about giving them time to actually enjoy their food and eat but it seemed that they were done as well.

When no-one made a move to address the couple, Eir figured she'd give it a shot. Turning to Steve, she leans in to murmur, "I'm going to go congratulate the couple. Want to come with?"

Steve, who had been talking to Charlie about dragons, shakes his head. "N-no, I'm fine. Tell them  _congratulations_ for me, will you?"

Eir quickly nods, pecking his cheek before standing and smoothing out the skirt of her dress. With as much skin she's showing, especially her inner forearms, Eir is surprised that no-one has been caught staring at her arms given her past.

She easily makes her way up to Ron and Hermione's table, Ron's eyes quickly latching on to her but instead of seeing his usual malice, there's something akin to amusement when he sees her. "Oi, Banning! Come here," he quickly waves her closer, Hermione's form slightly shaking from laughter as she shakes her head in amusement at her husband.

"Yes," Eir's lip twitch.

"How did your table get seconds? I'm blimey starving and the elves won't give me more food! Can you believe that?! It's my wedding and they refused me!"

"It was all Steve," Eir answers him with a laugh. "Apparently even the house elves can't resist that old school charm." Ron pouts, his arm resting lazily on the back of Hermione's chair. "But if you want, I can get Steve to go round up something from them. Of course it'd have to be after Charlie's done talking about his work in Romania." She shakes her head fondly. "I swear, it was a bad idea to sit Tony and Steve with your brothers."

Ron laughs, shaking his head fondly as well, Hermione smiling all the while that her friend and husband could actually hold a conversation now. "No, it's fine. I'm sure there will be some left over after the party is done."

"Yeah." The conversation lulls for a bit before Eir seems to snap out of her mind, eyes widening as she looks at the two of them. "Congratulations, by the way," she laughs. "Steve says congrats as well. That's what I meant to tell you two when I walked over here but, well, Ron started talking about food."

"When isn't he," Hermione snorts.

"Oi!"

Eir and Hermione laugh, Eir fidgeting from foot to foot when she realizes people are now making their way towards the wedded couple's table again. "Well, I better go," she tells them. "Let's see if I can get Steve to dance with me tonight."

With a wink and smile, Eir leaves Hermione and Ron's table but instead of going straight back to her own, she gets side-tracked by a platter of floating champagne. Though as she reaches for a flute, there's a harsh bump delivered to her left shoulder from the side.

"Oops," a voice coos sickeningly sweet.

Eir bites her tongue to keep from blurting out something sarcastic and plasters on a smile to tell the intruder  _not to worry about it_ but the second she makes eye contact with the person, her smile thins. "Romilda," she deadpans in greeting.

"Banning," she greets back with a forced smile though her eyes tell a different story. "I'm surprised you were invited."

"Really? I'm not," Eir grits out through clenched teeth as she feels herself go tense. For some reason, she and Romilda were never compatible in school and it seems they still felt the same way after all these years. "After all, Hermione is one of my best friends."

"Yes, well, she's a silly muggleborn. She's excused."

"Excuse me?!" Eir's form goes even more tense, eyes narrowing dangerously. "Are you really calling the bride a  _silly muggleborn_? Why are you even here, Vane?"

"I was invited, of course. I'm here to cover the wedding of one of our world's mightiest heroes." She practically swoons and it doesn't take a genius to know her gaze quickly darts to Ron. She might have been infatuated with Harry at one point but somehow, that infatuation moved on to Ron and hasn't budged since then.

"Don't you mean  _two_ of our heroes," Eir huffs, crossing her arms over her chest, cocking her hip to one side and arching her eyebrow as if challenging the witch. She doesn't care about not making a scene anymore. Romilda just pissed her off and as an act of revenge, Eir knows which button to press. "After all, I still don't see why your presence was required. Ms. Lovegood is very capable of covering the wedding and making an excellent column out of it. I can't say the same for you, though."

Romilda's eyes widen, the tips of her ears reddening in her sudden anger. While Romilda might be a Vane, she's also  _vain_  and thinks her work far more superior than any other. "Oh, what do you know, you filthy deatheater?!"

Eir smirks triumphantly, letting her arms fall to her side. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not marked. Therefore, I am not a deatheater."

It took a while but eventually, Steve and Pepper and surprisingly Natasha drilled it into her head that she's not a deatheater nor an ex-deatheater. She's just Eir- an amazing and talented witch.

Romilda squawks in outrage and in a move that Eir hadn't been thinking on too much, because they are in a room full of people, she produces her wand while taking a step back and points it in Eir's direction. Luckily for Romilda, Eir's wand in currently sitting in the inside pocket of Steve's jacket but unluckily for Romilda, Eir doesn't need it. " _Finite Incantatem!_ "

Eir doesn't know what Romilda intended to do but since she wasn't wholly concentrating on just Eir, the cancellation spells cancels quite a bit around them. Several platters of levitating champagne crash to the floor, glasses shattering and gaining everyone's attention. Even the music is cut off.

"There," Romilda sneers. "Now everyone can see you once again for what you truly are. A deatheater."

Eir's smirks forms into a full blown smile, her hands coming up to rest on her hip. "You were saying?"

Romilda's eyes dart to Eir's forearms, the witch even going as far as gripping Eir's left wrist and yanking her arm forward. "W-what.. how.. what did you do?!" She has the audacity to snarl in anger. "Glamour charms don't stand a chance against the cancellation spell!"

"Do we have a problem here?" Hermione's controlled voice rings loud and clear in the silence of the party. When Eir peers over her shoulder at her long time friend, she finds Pepper, Tony, and even Steve flanking the silently fuming bride.

And right away, Romilda is quick to hide her anger. "Of course not, Hermione. We're just catching up."

"Really," Tony scoffs, the anger clear in his glare that's directed to where Romilda is still gripping Eir's wrist. "That grip you have on my  _sister_ says otherwise."

Eir blinks rather owlishly, surprised at being called Tony's sister that she misses the pleased smiles of both Steve and Pepper at her reaction. Romilda hastily lets go, taking a step back and holstering her wand before leaving her hands at her sides. "No.. no. It's just a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding or not," Hermione's cool tone lets everyone who knows her that she's barely holding onto her temper. "You were here to take pictures and enough gossip for your so-called column. You were not invited to harass my guests," she states matter of factly.

Romilda's facade instantly drops, her hands coming to rest atop her hips as she sneers at those before her. "Gossip," she huffs. "You better believe that the Prophet will report how Gryfindor's beloved Princess consorts with deatheaters."

Hermione goes tense, her eyes blazing as she takes a threatening step forward. It takes Eir stepping in Hermione's line of vision and Pepper's hand on Hermione's shoulder to stop her as well as the words that flow from Pepper's mouth.

"Actually, you can't." All eyes dart to Pepper, the strawberry blonde smirking quite mischievously and shrugging nonchalantly. "What? It's not like it's going to stay mum when she takes her first mission." Tony and Steve share a look, talking mentally before they shrug and relax, and they eye Pepper so she knows she can continue. With her smirk turning into a triumphant innocent smile, Pepper turns back to Romilda. "Eir Banning is officially signed up under the Avengers Initiative. Any type of slandering of said Avengers and those under contract will result in a very expensive lawsuit for the losing party. You wouldn't want to be out of a job and bankrupt, do you?"

Hermione relaxes under Pepper's hand and soon enough, once Eir's wrapped her mind around Pepper's word, Romilda is faced with five smug smiles. Face growing hot in anger and embarrassment, she stomps her foot rather childishly. "Fine then! I'll be sure to tell my readers what a bore the wedding was and how horrible the hosts treated their guests."

"You do that," Hermione reaches forward, looping an arm with Eir's. "I'm sure Luna will write a far better column and make sure that your boss gets a copy of all of our memories to see how his columnist acts at such events. Now get out. You're ruining the bride's happy vibe."

Romilda squawks in outrage yet again but before she can speak, Ginny and Fleur practically appear from thin air with their arms crossed over their chests and block Romilda's path. "I believe the bride has spoken," Ginny comments. "Now leave before my sister-in-law unleashes her inner Veela on you."

Romilda's gaze suddenly darts towards Fleur, color suddenly draining from her face. Jaw clenched in anger, Romilda huffs before turning on spot and marching out of the reception with Ginny and Fleur behind her just to make sure she leaves and doesn't come back in.

Hermione makes a motion with her hand, the music suddenly blaring once more before Eir turns sheepish as she faces her friend. "Herms, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to- she just.."

"It's okay," Hermione's hands fall on Eir's shoulders, keeping Eir in place and angling her friend to face her head on. "Romilda gets under my skin, too. You don't need to apologize." Steve finally comes to stand at Eir's side, his arm snaking around Eir's waist. "Now go on. Enjoy the rest of the night and I fully expect to see the lot of you," her gaze quickly darts up to Steve before trailing over Pepper and Tony, "-on the dance floor soon."

Eir closes the gap between herself and Hermione, hugging her friend tightly. "It's going to take a miracle to get them out on the dance floor, just so you know, but I'll still try."

"As will I," Hermione murmurs next to her ear, pulling back and beaming at Eir.

Hermione is quick to rejoin her husband and assure him that all is well while Steve guides Eir back to their table that is now empty with Tony and Pepper following. It's only when Tony finds them all drinks and passes them out does he finally ask what's on his mind.

"So Fleur is a Veela, huh?"

Lips twitching in amusement, Eir nods as she sips her champagne. "Only half, though. She doesn't fully shift but she is scarily protective."

"I have the sudden urge to test her abilities."

"Please don't," Pepper groans. Eir and Steve laugh at Pepper's predicament with Tony before Pepper gives up on distracting Tony and asks a question of her own. "So what did that woman want and why did she cause a scene?"

"Romilda Vane is a hateful bint who holds a grudge against all ex-deatheaters," Eir shrugs as if saying  _what could I do._ "My presence here and the fact that I attacked her writing capabilities set her off and she wanted to show everyone here just exactly who and what they were dealing with. Too bad for her I have the Queen of Asgard on my side."

"Oh man," Tony suddenly comes out of his metal musings. "I hope someone got her reaction on camera. That was just awesome."

..

..

Several champagne flukes later, Eir and Pepper are giggling uncontrollably with Steve watching on very amused. Tony, surprisingly, isn't as tipsy as the ladies and is greatly enjoying the fact that he's not going to be the one to wake up hungover the following morning.

In between being plied with alcohol and not so subtly passing gossip to her equally tipsy friend, Eir forgets her mission to get Steve on the dance floor. But luckily for her, Hermione hadn't.

As the current song playing comes to an end, the crowd on the dance floor starts to trickle back to their seats when a new melody doesn't take it's place. Instead, Hermione takes a stand by her husband at the table and presses the tip of her wand to her throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen, family and friends," her voice is loud and clear as if she were speaking through a megaphone. "I know it isn't customary during a wizarding wedding for any type of speech to be given during the reception but since I am muggleborn, well I'm going to change things up a bit."

Family and friends chuckle at her words, everyone now paying close attention as to what the bride has to say.

"There is no subtle way of saying this so will Mr. Rogers and Ms. Banning please get their arses out on the dance floor?" There's a very feminine whoop that comes from the table Steve and Eir are sitting at, Steve laughing with his face pressed into the palms of his hands as Eir is the one cheering, and the other guests chuckling at Hermione's choice of words. Pepper and Tony eventually pull Eir and Steve out of their chairs and nudge them onto the dance floor, Steve blushing at being the center of attention. "Steve, Eir promised she'd get you out on the floor but since she got a bit carried away with the champagne, well that mission fell to me." Steve tries to glare at Hermione but he ends up laughing again and shaking his head in amusement at her. "Now, if you've been paying attention, the music selection is a mix between muggle and wizardry. And believe it or not, I found the perfect song for the two of you."

Hermione's smug grin turns to someone on the other side of the room, music once more filling the air once she gives the signal. As the low sound of crickets chirping and a slow pace of an acoustic guitar fills the air, Steve sighs and gathers a giggling Eir in his arms, letting her wrap her arms around his neck. His hands fall down to her waist and it all feels a bit childish but with the way Eir's glassy eyes are sparkling up at him, he's very glad Hermione called them out to do this.

" _Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods?_  
 _Where's the street-wise Hercules to fight the rising odds._  
 _Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?_  
 _Late at night I toss and turn, and dream of what I need._  
 _I need a hero."_

Steve and Eir crack simultaneous grins as they sway from side to side, Eir's head falling forward so her forehead rests on his left shoulder as Steve's hands move from her hips to clasp together at the small of Eir's back.

" _I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night._  
 _He's gotta be strong, he's gotta be fast,_  
 _and he's gotta be fresh from the fight."_

"Hermione really did find the perfect song, eh?"

Steve's chest rumbles with laughter as Eir then turns her head to the side so her cheek is now pressed to his shoulder, her own arms coming down to wrap around Steve's waist. "I think she did this on purpose."

"Oh, she did. I wanted to dance with you sometime tonight but I didn't know if I could drag you out here on my own. You are a bit shy especially when around new people."

Scoffing, Steve turns his gaze down to Eir. "I am not shy. If I was shy, I'd have serious performance issues when I'm helping saving the world."

Eir giggles uncontrollably for a second, Steve grasping Eir's hands in his own before taking a step back and letting one hand drop, and using the other to twirl Eir away from him before bringing her back so that her back rests against his chest. With her skirt billowing out around her legs with the twirl, Eir throws her head back and laughs as a couple of flashes go off around them just as Steve nuzzles the side of her face from behind. As she quickly glances around, the wizard photographer Hermione had for the wedding is snapping a few shots of them as well as Tony who had pulled out a camera from Merlin-knows-where.

" _Somewhere after midnight in my wildest fantasies,_  
 _somewhere just beyond my reach there's_  
 _someone reaching back for me._  
 _Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat,_  
 _isn't there a superman to sweep me off my feet?"_

Again, Steve moves to twirl Eir though when she comes back to him they're chest to chest, one arm moving down to hold her waist while his free hand holds one of hers, and then dips her back gracefully.

"Why, Mr. Rogers, you do have some moves."

Steve laughs again once Eir's settled back on her feet and in his arms, the two of them swaying peacefully to the music. From his peripheral vision, he sees that other couples are starting to join them on the dance floor and when he takes a moment to look at them, he realizes he knows some of them. Pepper has managed to wrangle Tony into dancing as well as Ginny and Harry, Fleur and Bill, Hermione and Ron, and various other couples.

Eir's head lands back on his shoulder, her face turned towards he crook of his neck as his chin rests lightly against her head. "Have I told you lately how much I love you," she murmurs into his neck. Steve hums in acknowledgment though Eir doesn't know what he means by that. "I do, you know, love you."

"And I love you, too," he murmurs contently, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead.

They continue to sway to the most cheesiest songs they've possibly ever heard but Eir finds it quite soothing and that it sets just the right atmosphere for what she's about to tell him. "You saved me, you know?" Steve tenses against her but she continues to plow on and not let him interrupt. "If it hadn't been for you walking into my life, I'd probably have adopted numerous cats and became a hermit once more, and I'm so grateful for you and all that you've done. So just.. thank you."

"It's a two-way street, darling," Steve finally manages to speak. "We saved each other. Anyone who knew me would have said that I was okay before I met you but something always felt like it was missing. It wasn't until I met you and subtly bribed you into becoming my friend that I truly felt alive. Well, meeting you and then finding out you were a witch and you finding out I was Captain America," he laughs. "Finding out each other's secret identities was quite a relief."

Eir grins against the skin of Steve's neck, pulling back just enough and straightening up so she can look him in the eye. "Ditto."

Leaning forward, Eir closes the gap between their lips, keeping the kiss sweet and honest given the audience they currently had but pouring just enough emotion into the kiss so Steve knows exactly how grateful she is to have him.

" _I need a hero._  
 _I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light."_

* * *

 **Ugh. I well aware the ending was abrupt and.. suckish but fear not! There's an epilogue which will be posted tomorrow :) And, of course, it's somewhat cheesy.** **I just really like happy endings, okay?!**

**When ever I get my fic ideas, it always starts with a song. I listen to my iPod and then a certain song will stick out and _BAMM!,_  I have my fic and I start planning chapters. For this particular story, I listened to "Holding Out For a Hero" by Ella Mae Bowen. It's a remake of the original and yeah, you just really need to listen to it. I always thought the song was cheesy/hilarious but the remake of it, it's just so amazing!**


	30. Epilogue

**Two and a half years later..**

If anyone had told Eir she'd fall in love an Avenger or be an Avenger once news broke out about said superheroes, she'd have laughed in their face.

But here she is at the age of twenty-six in love with Captain America, living under the roof of Iron Man, and best friends with the God of Thunder, a giant green rage machine, two master assassins, and a very scary yet sexy CEO of Stark Industries.

It took a while to get where she is now but Eir would never go back in time to make it any easier. She had some great memories at Avengers Tower, on the Helicarrier, and even at the Burrow which she eventually took Clint and Natasha to see. But of course, though, with the good came some bad.

Verbal arguments were mostly started with an innocent comment usually from Tony's mouth. And with that comment came what everyone was usually thinking but too nervous to voice in fear of Eir lashing out or regressing into herself.

There had been one solid month that the Avengers were occupied nearly twenty-four-seven with research, constant vigilance, and studying the newest villain of the year that once the threat was taken care of- the team was glad to finally relax and have a movie night. Surprisingly, the rom-com  _Hitch_ was elected to be viewed to get over all the fighting and explosions they lived through the previous days.

All had been quite dandy until it came to the part where Hitch's love interest found out he was the  _love doctor,_ hooking men up with women by 'manipulating' them. Of course, nothing was as it seemed to be portrayed in the movie and the happy ending came after loads of arguments and fights and people realizing that fact checking should happen before confronting anyone.

Even after the film was done and over with, Tony kept discussing it. He brought up the topic of secret keeping and then it just snow balled from there to the fact that they had still yet to know exactly what happened in Eir's past. Eir tried arguing that they knew- she told them what happened- but Tony argued it wasn't the same as viewing it like Fury and Hill had.

Pepper told him to drop it and Eir told him she wasn't ready for them to witness it. That then led to the sarcastic comment of,  _"When will you be ready? When we're old and wrinkly and you figure you have nothing left to lose because we're too old to pick new friends?",_ and Eir finally had enough by asking if they all felt that way.

Bruce nodded along with his so called Science-Bro, Clint shrugged sheepishly, Natasha remained neutral though Eir easily picked up on the assassin's curiosity, Thor refused to make eye contact, and Steve wouldn't give a definite answer. Eir's bottom lip had trembled as she managed to hold back the tears, apparating out of the room only to reappear seconds later with the pensieve and memories. She let it levitate in the middle of the room and angrily poured her memories in while taking a seat furthest away from everyone while letting them choose what they wanted to do.

Not so surprisingly, everyone went in with Steve going in last but not before murmuring his apology from across the pensieve. The second he disappeared, Eir let her head fall into the palms of her hands as she silently cried. She knew what they would see- little Eir being happy as she learned to control her magic. They'd watch as she grow and enter Hogwarts, young Eir struggling between right and wrong, and then after her Fourth Year memories, they'd see as any and all happiness left her.

They'd see the rise of Voldemort as well as more of her struggles, and then they'd witness the violation of her body during her deatheater initiation as well as the violation of her mind. The horrors of Voldemort's short reign would be theirs to witness and if there was one thing she didn't regret them seeing, it was the day of the Battle of Hogwarts where she finally chose her side and help kill or incapacitate other deatheaters.

The last things they would see would be glimpses of her trial as well as Draco's and the way he, too, started to turn his life around. When they were finally spit out, Eir gulped at their reactions.

Pepper had tears streaming down her cheeks, Natasha had eyes filled with tears though she refused to let them fall, and Bruce was so angry with what he saw his friend go through that he had to excuse himself to the Hulk's playroom when he started to get a green tint to his skin. Steve, Tony, and Thor all had a look of pity and heartbreak that the moment each of them took a step toward her, she immediately excused herself from the room without letting any of them comfort her.

It was only Clint who didn't look at her differently and Eir only guessed why two days later after she refused to speak to anyone other than JARVIS and Mousy.

Two days after the memory fiasco and Eir getting numerous of apologies from the team via JARVIS for pushing her hand, Clint fell through an air vent into Eir's personal room that she had when she needed time away from everyone but didn't feel like going to her apartment blocks away.

When Eir didn't hex him, he took that as a good sign and plopped down on the opposite end of her sofa to watch whatever mind numbing sitcom she had the TV on. They sat there for hours in silence until Clint finally opened up about Loki controlling his mind all those years ago. He told her he committed acts that it took a while for him to forgive himself for and that he knew exactly what it was like to have the team walk on eggshells around you, and look at you differently.

When Eir finally cracked and crawled over to him to snuggle underneath his arm as she cried a few tears, Clint apologized in person for viewing her memories when she wasn't ready. After that was settled, Clint gave Eir a tour of the air vents and eventually led her back onto the communal floor where Eir forgave everyone and things went back to normal.

Well, somewhat normal. The team seemed to have gotten even more protective of Eir including Steve who was constantly cuddling Eir in their free time.

**.:HP/AVNGRS:.**

The Avengers trudge into Tony's loft having flown on to the balcony from the roof- bloodied and exhausted. The newest bought of villains- who were scientists gone mad that had been exposed to gamma radiation in an underground black market- had really given them a run for their money.

Unfortunately for S.H.I.E.L.D and their agents, the scientists didn't die from the exposure and instead were granted inhumane strength and surprising fighting capabilities. When S.H.I.E.L.D had caught wind of them, they were ready to scoop up the new threats only to find out they didn't want to be scooped up and instead chose to fight. But with their strength and skills, they couldn't be allowed to stay in public or underground for fear of banning together and starting an uprising.

And since these villains of the month were muggles, Eir wasn't allowed to freely use her wandless and nonverbal magic because of the Statute of Secrecy. Instead, she had to wear her bracelets- which Tony made for her eventually- that once activated would call upon her arm guards that pretty much looked like Iron Man's arms. Tony had made them specifically for Eir, the Iron Man 'gloves' fitting up to her elbow in silver and blue, and would appear as if she were using repulsors to fight off her foes when in actuality, it was Eir's magic coming through the repulsors and not any type of energy that Tony used.

Taking a seat on one of the bar stools while Tony immediately started pouring drinks, Eir slips off her bracelets and lays them out atop the bar. Her S.H.I.E.L.D catsuit- very much the same to Natasha's- was a mess and she'd either need a new one or she'd have to magically fix the cuts in the fabric and charm away the blood and grime.

Since Hulk and Thor were pretty much a force to be reckoned with, the Avengers thought the mad scientists would be an easy feat but were caught off guard with just how much strength the scientists had, and how great of a beating they could endure. Hulk and Thor were occupied the entire time, and Eir was busy fighting off a scientist of her own while using the tripping jinx to give her teammates some time when they looked as if they were being over powered.

One particular incident with Steve being kicked with a great amount of power caused Eir to be distracted enough for a scientists to backhand her nearly unconscious. Just because Eir was trained in magic didn't mean to she was trained to take on more than five villains at one time, and at one point or another, she felt the shallow intrusion of a blade to her right shoulder. The wound was shallow and didn't bleed much, and all in all, the Avengers came out on top with the scientists beaten to a bloody pulp and magicked unconscious until Fury wanted them awake to administer a cure.

Everyone came out with cuts, scrapes, and blossoming bruises but it was still a victory.

"Give me firewhiskey, will you?"

Given how exhausted they were, Tony doesn't bother to mock Eir for her choice of drink and readily slides her a shot glass of what she requested. Harlow swoops down from somewhere, landing on the bar in front of Tony and nipping his fingers in greeting. Eir takes a moment to look for Casper before she remembers they're on Tony's floor and Casper wasn't allowed up here.

Steve and Natasha take the bar stools on either side of Eir, both leaning forward and cushioning their head on folded arms while Clint, Thor, and Bruce went to sully Tony's expensive couch with their battle grime. Eir quickly throws her shot back, grimacing at the too warm taste and slams her shot glass down, motioning for another one. Tony cocks an eyebrow at her and shrugs before complying. Filling up two more shot glasses after Eir's, he slides them to Steve and Nat.

"Drink up, friends. We won! Be merry, get drunk, and go have victory sex."

Eir had threw her second shot back just as Tony said this, choking on her drink and causing Steve to immediately sit up and slap her on the back. Natasha only snorts in amusement, sitting up slowly before she too downed her drink.

"Classy, Stark, really classy," Eir deadpans before scowling at him.

Tony winks in response, sipping at his own scotch when a distinct  _pop!_ sounds behind Eir. By now, she's accustomed to Mousy taking care of Bruce first before anyone else. No-one knows how it started but all they know is that one day when Bruce hulked out after Tony and Clint got too annoying in his sanctuary, the only way Hulk calmed down was when Mousy apparated in and sat on the Hulk's shoulder while talking about anything and everything. To this day, Tony uses the picture of the giant green rage machine sitting in the middle of the labs with a tiny house elf perched atop his shoulder.

And when Eir peers over her shoulder, sure enough Mousy is tending to Bruce first and making sure he drinks his energy replenishment since there are no wounds on him. Clint gets passed his own vials of energy replenishment and a potion to knit together any wounds while Thor declines his because he wears his wounds with pride.

Eir, Natasha, and Tony are quick to drink down their potions when Mousy finally makes her way over to them; Steve only drinking his so he can bounce back faster than usual. Once Mousy is sure no-one in her family is going to drop dead, she disappears with the empty vials to do whatever it is Mousy does.

There's a moment of silence that Eir's the first break. "Well, today's been exciting. I'm going to go shower, get this mask off," she pokes at the latex paint across her eyes and cheek bones that holds up surprisingly well in battle, "-and then sleep for a couple days."

Steve shoots Tony a panicked look- a look that no-one other than Tony sees- and Tony is quick to save the day. "What? No," he shakes his head. "Pepper's bringing in Thai and a chick flick so you have to come back down after your shower."

Frowning, Eir rolls her eyes. "Pepper won't get mad if I miss one movie night."

Steve's eyes widen again but Tony remains cool. "Fifty bucks says she does."

"Fifty says she doesn't."

Tony looks triumphant for a split second before he has JARVIS calling Pepper, the phone call being put on speaker for all to hear. After a few rings, she finally answers.  _"What do you want? I picking up the food."_

"Eir's trying to hide out in her room. She doesn't want to see the movie."

" _What?! No,"_ Pepper shrieks.  _"Tony, you better-"_

"JARVIS, end call." JARVIS does as he's told, Tony smirking at Eir. "Told you."

"Bugger off, you prat." Tony and Natasha chuckle at Eir's annoyance, watching as the witch climbs to her feet and starts to walk towards the elevator. "I'll see you lot on the floor after I've showered."

There are mumbled and grumbled words of agreement, Steve watching as Eir climbs into the elevator to take her to their floor. As the doors close, Steve's turns yet another panicked look to Tony. "You think she knows? She knows, doesn't she?!"

"Calm down, Cap," Tony grins at him. "She doesn't have a clue." Natasha agrees with Tony and it takes a few seconds for Steve to slump back down in his seat. "Now," Tony claps his hands together in glee. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Clint, Bruce, and Thor's attention have been caught now- each Avenger peering over at their captain and awaiting his answer. "More than ever," Steve finally manages to say.

"Then good. Go convince Eir to rinse off in the shower and then convince her to take an hour long bath or something," Tony shrugs. "Whatever you do, don't get in with her. We need you back on the floor to help."

"Right," Steve nods and then stands. Tony quickly slides Steve another shot- a shot of liquid courage which is just more firewhiskey- and after drinking it down, Steve seems a bit more motivated. After smiling at Tony and Natasha, Steve turns and marches over to the elevator. Once situated inside, he manages to make eye contact with Clint who's grinning at him. "Don't forget to open the floo!"

..

..

Eir's standing just outside of the glass shower stall, it's door wide open as the steam from the hot water starts to fill the room. Her hair is hanging limply around her face, blood and dirt clumping strands together as she shimmies out of her S.H.I.E.L.D catsuit. She doesn't exactly remember what convinced her to finally cave in to the Black Widow to try one of S.H.I.E.L.D's uniforms- and even though it's a lot more constricting- it's a hell of a lot more comfier than dragon-hide. That plus a couple of protection charms and she was just as protected as before- if not more.

Once completely naked, Eir gives herself a once over to make sure the many cuts and bruises have healed up. And once she realizes that they have, she's eagerly stepping into the hot spray of water.

The water stings but is pleasing nonetheless and Eir takes a moment to let the water drench her. After giving it a few minutes, Eir finally manages to peel off her mask and drop it in the corner of the shower stall to remove later. Moving about, she gathers her shampoo and conditioner to get the grime from her hair out.

She's in the middle of washing out the conditioner when the bathroom door swings open and she cracks open an eye only to find Steve shuffling in. "Hey, love, come to join?"

Steve observes Eir showering, no hint of a blush in sight and Eir internally grins at how comfortable she's gotten him to be with her body. After a moment of ogling, Steve shakes his head clear. "No," he clears his throat. "I actually need to hurry and shower. Fury's waiting on some last minute paperwork.

With one last look, Steve finally moves further into the bathroom and towards the bathtub. He sets out a few oils and bath salts, turning on the hot water and adjusting it to how he knows Eir likes. "So you're going to take your time in a bath," she quirks an eyebrow behind his back before moving on to lather up her body scrubber and scrubs away the day's battle.

"Nope," he grins to where she can't see. "We're going to trade. You in here and I'll shower real quick so I can leave."

"But-"

"Nope. No buts," he tells her. "Hurry and rinse off and get your cute little butt over here."

Eir pouts before doing as she's told. Steve is adding a mixture of oils into the water when Eir comes up behind him, her arms wrapping around his waist. "You sure you don't want to join me? Fury can wait."

He shakes with silent laughter before turning in Eir's arms and leaning down to peck her on the lips. "Sorry but I really need to go." He pecks her lips again, smiling into the kiss as Eir whines deep in the back of her throat. "But don't worry. Take your time to soak in here and I'll be back before Pepper starts the movie."

"You're a horrible boyfriend," Eir playfully whines before slipping into her bath. Steve watches as she scours the side of the tub for a tie and quickly ties her hair up to keep it away from the water. "Normal boyfriends would gladly take advantage of their girlfriends in a hot bath."

"Well we're not exactly normal, are we,  _Ghost_?" Eir grins at the use of her code name- the name Tony had given her after Clint got him hooked on Game of Thrones and he had a slight obsession with Direwolves.

"Touche," she shrugs before slipping further into the water. "Now hurry up and strip so I can at least ogle my boyfriend before he leaves for yet more work."

Steve rolls his eyes all in good humor before stripping and stepping into the steaming shower but, of course, his stripping of the suit didn't happen without cat calling from Eir.

He makes quick work of his shower, scrubbing clean and stepping out only to find a pile of clean clothes sitting on the counter that Eir summoned when he was busy. Before Eir knows it, Steve's covered in clean clothing and making his way to the tub, kissing Eir on the forehead before turning to leave.

"Don't drown," he calls out over his shoulder before shutting the door. Eir huffs a laugh and sinks even further, low enough so the water's at her chin.

..

..

At the thirty minute mark of soaking in the tub, Eir wonders why no-one's barged in or used JARVIS to hurry her along. And at the forty-five minute mark, Eir is rather suspicious of the quiet and starts wondering just what her friends are up to. Standing up, she quickly  _accio's_ herself a towel and wraps it around her body before climbing out of the tub.

Her and Steve's bedroom is a mixture of blues and blacks, the both of them compromising that Eir chooses the colors and Steve chooses the furniture. Steve had figured Eir wanted all modern furniture and stainless steel type of gadgets in their room but he was pleasantly surprised that Eir agreed to all the wooden furniture and low-key appliances. The only piece of furniture that stuck out in the room was Casper's bed and jungle gym but the lazy bag of bones always curled himself in the middle of their bed. Which is where he's currently at right now, eyes following Eir as she moves about, his tail flickering back and forth.

With her friend's whereabouts on her mind, Eir quickly changes into the appropriate under garments before slipping on a pair of blue checkered pajama bottoms and a gray cotton v-neck tee. Ever since Eir got a lock down on her wandless and nonverbal magic, she hasn't had much use of her wand so she leaves that tucked neatly in her bedside drawer where it stays unless she feels an itch under her skin where her magic wants to connect with it once more.

With her dirty towel tossed into a hamper, Eir makes her way through her living space and towards the elevator that'll take her to the communal floor where everyone's supposed to be.

"JARVIS, where is everyone?"

The A.I who's usually quick to respond is silent. Seconds tick by and just as Eir's starting to panic, JARVIS finally speaks up.  _"I've been told to withhold that information, Ms. Banning, but to assure you that everything's fine."_

"Okay," she drawls.

Brows furrowed in confusion, Eir frowns as the doors open to her destination and the room is dimly lit. Lights are flickering against the walls in the small hallway and when she looks down, she finds the source of light. Tiny balls of light are dancing together in mason jars, said jars forming an aisle that lead further onto the floor.

"Steve," she calls out. "Nat? Anyone?"

Stepping further into the room after getting no answer, Eir lets the elevator doors close behind her and follows the aisle. What she finds is the entire communal floor void of any furniture, magical-lit mason jars now spread out sporadically and casting a hypnotizing glow to the room with Steve standing directly in the middle.

He stands there in all his clean-shaven glory, hair spiked up, and a dark blue blazer left open and hanging off his shoulders. A white tee sits underneath said blazer and dark washed jeans hang low on his hips. "Steve," Eir gulps, hands shaking at the romantic scene in front of her. "What's going on?"

Steve smiles at her, hands brushing along his pant legs in a nervous manner as he holds out a hand before him. "Come here," he laughs.

Eir stumbles forward on shaky legs, heart pounding dramatically against her rib cage as she swallows around the sudden lump in her throat. "Steve?"

"Eir Banning," he announces oddly loud for the scene they're in. He has both Eir's hands clasped in each of his own now, and he's beaming down at her. "Ever since that fateful day I knocked all your groceries from your hands, I knew I just had to get to know you." The lump in Eir's throat gets even bigger, her heart pounding even faster now that she has a hint as to where this is going. She's seen enough rom-coms to know. "I was terrified the more we got to know each other and even more terrified when I couldn't fight my attraction to you.

But you- you turned my world upside down when you turned out to be a witch." Eir gives a watery chuckle, her eyes slowly being filled with tears. "I didn't have to worry about you not being able to look out for yourself nor did I have to worry about you being a target because of me. You're something else, Eir Banning, and not a day goes by that I don't think about just how lucky we are. How lucky  _I_ am." Eir swears she hears a sniffle or two but she pushes that to the back of her mind. "And to quote one of your favorite songs," Steve starts to chuckle before clearing his throat. " _You felt the weight of the world fall off your shoulder. And to your favorite song we sang along to the start of forever. And after all this time, I'm still into you._ "

Eir actually guffaws, her smile so wide and happy tears blurring her vision that she misses Steve fumbling with something in his jean pocket and kneeling down on one knee. It's only when she feels him tighten his grip on her one hand that she finally looks down and even though she figured that this is where his speech was leading up to, it's a shock to her.

"Steve," she breathes in shocked awe.

"I love you, Eir Banning, and I don't plan on ever having a change of heart." He's staring up at her, hope and joy in his eyes though the tightness around his mouth let's Eir know that he's nervous. "Will you marry me?"

Eir's full on bawling, smile so wide and head bobbing up and down in her answer. Steve laughs in relief, slipping the cool studded band of a three stone diamond engagement ring onto it's appropriate finger. Eir does a giddy dance in place as Steve takes his stand, quickly throwing her arms around her fiance's neck and closing the gap between their mouths. Instantaneously, cheers erupt from one place in particular and Eir releases Steve in shock to look around. She barely catches a shimmer of movement before  _invisibility_ charms fall away and every single one of their friends are present- including Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Hermione, Ginny, and Fleur are quick to throw themselves at Eir in excitement; Fleur and Ginny immediately going for Eir's ring finger and lifting her hand to look at the jewelry.

"Congratulations," Hermione practically screams. Her smile is from ear to ear as her two sister-in-laws coo over Eir's diamond.

"It  _ez_  beautiful!" Fleur gushes next.

"Simple yet classy," Ginny laughs. "Just like you, Ms. Banning. Or shall I say  _future_ Mrs. Rogers?"

"Girls.. girls," Molly admonishes from behind. "Leave Eir alone." Ginny and Hermione crack up as Molly swats them on the shoulders, pushing her way so she can envelop Eir in a hug. "Eir, sweetheart, congratulations!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Eir says as she hugs her tightly.

"Ladies.. ladies," George claps aloud and gaining everyone's attention. "Hug and pass. Hug and pass," he tuts at them. "You lot are not the only ones wishing to congratulate the bride-to-be."

Molly glares at her son only to hug Eir tightly once more before letting others get their congratulations in. The boys come up next, George being the first to hug and congratulate her before passing her on to Harry. Mr. Weasley is next in the congratulating followed by Bill, Charlie, Ron, and Percy. Andromeda is there as well, standing near the back with Teddy and Victoire, and Eir accepts the hugs and well wishes from the elder witch and little ones.

After the witches and wizards, Natasha finally takes her chance to give her well wishes with the soon to be bride. She gets passed to Pepper and then Clint, Thor, Tony, and Bruce.

There's a lot of well wishes, congratulations, and innuendos from Tony and Clint about not being able to wear white because like hell she's a blushing virgin bride.

"Okay, okay, calm down," Tony wolf whistles over everyone. "We have some business to attend to and said business is Eir's first and only bridal gift."

"Only one, Tony," Eir pouts at him. "You really are losing your touch with that old age."

"Shut it or you won't get to see them!"

Eir laughs but when Tony's words take a moment to finally click in, her smile slowly falls and it's Tony's turn to smirk. "Them?"

"Did you really think we'd miss one of the greatest moments of your life?" Eir's eyes widen at the familiar voice coming from behind her, everyone standing in front of her chuckling at her reaction. "Really, Eir _,_ it's like you don't know me at all."

Eir whirls around, eyes wide and lips stretched into the most radiant smile. "Dray! 'Cissa!" She launches herself at the two purebloods, arms wrapping around each of their necks in a three-way hug. "What.. how?!"

"Bloody house arrest ended a couple weeks ago," Draco smirks. "Stark got in contact with us to see if we would be able to drop in a for a visit for something  _big._ You're lucky my punishment had ended ended before Rogers got down on one knee."

"I'm so glad you could make it," she tells him before turning to Narcissa. "And how have you been? Writing letters just isn't the same as face to face."

Finally letting go of Eir, Narcissa takes a step back to straighten out her dress. "I've been good, darling, and recently just got better."

Cocking an eyebrow, Eir grins. "Better?"

"Mhm," Lady Malfoy smiles. "You're now looking at the two newest citizens of the United States."

Eir's jaw drops and the Avengers are back to chuckling. The Weasley's, Hermione, and Harry might put up with the Malfoy's but they're not exactly on buddy-buddy terms. "Y-you're moving here?"

"Well not here- here," Draco scoffs. "That bloke with the eye patch found us a place to live." And cue snickering from Clint and Tony.

"Fury?"

"I guess," Draco shrugs. "Since our funds have dwindled significantly after the war, we needed a way to bring back in funds. We're outcasts in the Wizarding Community," Draco scowls. "We wouldn't find work there so Tony figured that Fury bloke would do good with someone who had knowledge in dark magic and could help identify it when you're off on your missions."

"Wait, wait, wait," Eir shakes her head with a laugh. "You work for S.H.I.E.L.D?!" Without waiting for an answer, she rounds on Tony. "And you put aside your dislike for Fury just enough to find him new consultants?"

Tony's usual cool demeanor falters but is back in place just as quick. "Eh, they're not so bad once you get to know them." Somewhere in the back, someone snorts followed by a quick  _slap!_ Peering over her shoulder, Eir finds Ron scowling at Hermione as he rubs the back of his head and Harry snickered into Ginny's hair. "Plus," Tony drawls. "I figured you'd like at least some other witch and wizard with you in New York. It felt wrong to try and separate the Weasley clan so Draco and his Mother it was."

"I.. I don't know what to say," Eir breathes in awe. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Tony tells her.

Steve finally comes back to Eir's side, laying an arm around her shoulder as Eir mindlessly wraps her arm around his lower waist. Everyone is just standing around- smiles, grins, and smirks on every face in the room. After a few more moments of awkward standing around, Pepper takes charge and starts mingling and pulling people all around the room and towards the kitchen to get comfortable and eat. Eir doesn't know what exactly what they had planned but everyone seems happy to be fed.

Now that the congratulations are out of the way, Narcissa takes Eir to the side where they just so happen to be next to Tony. "I know you've only got engaged," Narcissa beams. "But do you have a specific date that you want for your wedding? Do you want it soon or in the future?"

Humming, Eir shakes her head. "Not really. I don't mind if we're married right away or if Steve wants it sometime in the future. Merlin, I'm not even picky about the location. I'm just happy to have him as my husband."

Narcissa coos, pinching Eir's cheek at how happy Eir has become. Narcissa was once a believer but after seeing just how dangerous Voldemort was to everyone and not just the half bloods and muggleborns, she had a change of heart. She had wished her friends would see the same things she saw but she had no such luck. And now, she is glad that Eir Banning has found true happiness.

Before Narcissa has a chance to reply, Tony ducks his way into their conversation and let's them know that he had been eavesdropping. "If you don't care about the when or where then why not right here and right now?"

"Excuse me?!" Narcissa seems appalled for a split second and Eir seems rather amused.

"Tony, what are you talking about?"

"Just here me out," he smirks before turning and searching the room. "Rogers! Get over here, will ya?"

Steve is off across the room making small talk with Clint and Draco, and when Tony catches his attention, he excuses himself from them. Once he's right in front of Tony and next to Eir, Tony tells him what he said moments before. "What do you say to getting hitched right here and right now?" Steve actually snorts, shaking his head in amusement before he realizes that Tony's being serious.

"Oh, you're serious."

"Of course I'm serious," Tony rolls his eyes in exasperation. "When else are you going to find a day that all of us can get together without the threat of the world in the balance? Everyone who matters to the both of you are here so why not?"

Steve snaps his jaw shut, gaze turning to Eir who actually looks to be contemplating the idea. "I, um, I don't know. Eir?"

Biting her bottom lip nervously, Eir shrugs as she shares a look with Narcissa and then Steve. "The prat does have a point."

"Hey!"

"When else are we going to get everyone together without someone being away on a mission or out rounding up rogue witches and wizards? But Tony's wrong. There are two people missing."

As if speaking of said people is what brought them forward, Mousy apparates into the room with a distinct  _pop!_ along with Director Fury and Agent Hill. "You were saying," Tony smugly smirks.

Maria Hill grins knowingly after taking in the get together and the happiness radiating from everyone. Turning her attention to Eir, she quirks and eyebrow. "So I take it you said yes?" Mousy looks expectantly at her Mistress, tugging on her ears and awaiting her answer.

Eir nods, Mousy screeches and rushes towards Eir and Steve to hug them around their legs, and Fury sighs as if it's paining him to be in the same room as them. "Good. I can go back to carrier then. Some of us actually have work to attend to."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow your roll there, Fury." Fury glares at Tony, arms crossing over his chest in a disapproving manner. "You might as well get comfortable. I'm ninety-five percent sure that there's going to be a wedding today."

The room goes deathly silent, eyes darting between Fury and Tony, and then Eir and Steve as if wondering if Tony is telling the truth. Hermione's eyes are wide, silently asking if this is true and Eir winks. Looking up to Steve, she finds him shaking with silent laughter and shaking his head in amusement at the absurdity of it all.

Sighing, Eir is the first the cave. "I don't even have a dress for such an occasion. Even if we wanted to be wed today, the shopping trip alone would take hours and not everyone can stay that long."

"Not a problem. We have a dress!" Pepper eagerly takes center stage, smile so wide and not very innocent. It's like this was planned all along.

"Why do I get the feeling that this was planned?"

"Because some of it was," Pepper shrugs. Striding forward, Pepper grabs Eir by the wrist to pull her up from her seat. "Tony knew that everyone would be here and had that little speech prepared for a while now. Natasha, Hermione, and I got together on one of Hermione's recent visits and found the perfect dress for a small wedding that we thought you'd love." Eir looks to her friends and they're both grinning sheepishly.

"You knew that this would happen today?"

"The proposal, yes."

"The actual wedding, no." Hermione adds after Nat.

Shaking her head in utter amazement, Eir shrugs. "What are we waiting for then? We have a wedding to prepare for."

Fury sighs audibly before everyone else cheers. Pepper eagerly hooks her arm in with Eir's and starts dragging Eir away only calling for Natasha and Hermione to join her. She wants the dress to be a surprise for everyone else so she tells them to stay put, and just as Eir is being tugged into the elevator, she hears Harry and Ginny calling out that they'd prepare for seating and decorations.

..

..

Eir's staring at herself in a body length mirror, Pepper having taken Eir, Natasha, and Hermione to her and Tony's personal bedroom. Her makeup had been kept light- her freckles sticking out more than normal, lips a reddish brown, and just a hint of black eye shadow coloring her eyelids.

Natasha had did a fantastic job of prepping Eir's hair in an elegant bun, bangs parted on the left side and then majority of them sweeping right while tendrils of curled hair frame her face.

The strapless silk chiffon dress has ruching and boning at the bodice that is fitted to her frame, a lengthy black ribbon tied at her waist that it's ends fall to the hem of the dress just below her knee. The shoes were an immediate buy for Pepper, the cream colored platforms having bedazzled heels and flowers with bedazzled centers at her ankles.

All in all- Pepper, Natasha, and Hermione did good.

Hermione steps back into the room, the smile never having left her face as she went to go check on how preparations were coming along downstairs. "They're all set," she tells the room. "Now Tony's wondering who will be the lucky bloke to walk you down the aisle. He told me to convince you to ask Fury just to see if his eye twitches about doing a good deed."

Laughing, Eir shakes her head at her friend. "I'd rather not die on my wedding day, thank you very much."

"Well then who's going to be the lucky bloke?"

Scrunching up her nose in contemplation, she finally sighs. "Can you tell Draco to come up? I've known him the longest."

"Sure thing," Hermione nods. "Ladies, if you will." She gestures them to come to her. "We'll send Draco up and then Eir can meet him at the elevator. The aisle is literally a foot away from the elevator's door and leads into the room so we should go now."

Eir follows the girls out to the elevator, the girls giving Eir one last hug and wish of luck before they're riding the elevator down to the communal floor while Eir waits above. During her brief moment of quiet, Eir lets out a deep sigh just thinking about what she's about to do. She has no second thoughts but just the thought of tying herself to Steve is enough to give her happy butterflies in her tummy.

If anyone had told her when she was younger she'd marry an Avenger- not just any Avenger but the first- she'd have laughed in their face and had them committed. But today, she's actually marrying the first Avenger.

The elevator dings, it's doors opening and presenting Draco with hair that Eir has never seen before. It's cut short atop his head and spiked, and Eir's jaw is hanging open in shock. Did she mention he's wearing a tux?

"Tony and my Mum made me do it," he grimaces before shrugging. "Believe it not, Thor didn't mind my long hair."

"Of course he didn't," Eir snorts. "Thor has long hair himself."

"Indeed." Draco offers Eir his arm, letting her hook her arm with his until she's standing side-by-side with him in the elevator. "You ready for this?" Eir nods and smiles but doesn't speak. "Nervous? If you're having second thoughts, we could disappear." Eir smacks him on the chest for even suggesting that, both of them chuckling as the elevator takes them down to their destination. "I'm proud of you, you know that? Mum and I both are. You did something neither one of us could do back then and looking at how far you've come all on your own.. I'm just.. we're proud, is all."

Eir has tears gathering in the corner of her eyes, she having to carefully wipe them away with her free hand as she turns to face her friend. "And I'm proud of you," she tells him. "You might not have stayed to fight against them but you still made the right choice in the end. Don't sell yourself short, Dray."

"Never," he smirks just as the elevator comes to a stop.

The doors open to the same dimly lit hallway as before, the mason jars filled with dancing balls of light making the aisle. Instead of the aisle being bare, though, white petals create spiral designs for the bride to walk on. She squeezes Draco's arm just a little tighter as they walk casually down said aisle.

There are two groupings of white chairs on either side of the makeshift aisle set in a half circle with the Weasley's plus Harry on one side while the Avengers plus Pepper, Fury, Hill, Narcissa, Andromeda, Teddy, and Mousy sit at the other.

A floating crystal chandelier that's lighting up just one particular spot hangs above Bruce who's apparently going to officiate the ceremony and Steve who's standing there at the end of the aisle looking at Eir with such love and devotion.

_I'll meet a hero_  
 _And then we'll dance 'til the morning light_  
 _Dreaming, he'll lead me_  
 _Held tight,_  
 _Tonight's the night_

* * *

**Check Polyvore one last time for[this chapter's set](http://www.polyvore.com/second_chance_chapter_30/set?id=119831778) ;)**

**Thank you to everyone who stuck this out with me and leaving words of encouragement.**

**I'll be back within a week or less to post a new fic (teen wolf side-fic for We Might Fall) so..**

**Until next time :)**


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